Home > All journals > European Foreign Affairs Review > 16(4) >
$15.00 - Rental (PDF) *
$29.00 - Article (PDF) *
Mai’a K. Davis Cross
European Foreign Affairs Review
Volume 16, Issue 4 (2011) pp. 447 – 464
https://doi.org/10.54648/eerr2011031
Abstract
The recent advent of the European Union (EU) External Action Service (EEAS) represents a major step towards a new kind of diplomacy in the international arena. However, while the construction of such a large, supranational corps of diplomats is wholly unprecedented, the EU's successful track record in its own internal diplomacy contains many lessons for its future external diplomacy. If these lessons are implemented well, the EEAS will be coherent and effective, transforming the EU's foreign policy landscape and catapulting it onto the world stage. If not, this new institution risks becoming a weak bureaucratic experiment that could end up working at cross purposes with the diplomatic apparatus of the Member States already in place. Specifically, this article focuses on the recruitment and training of EU diplomats and the challenges of fostering a strong esprit de corps, sense of collective identity, as well as a high level of professionalism, expertise, and flexibility. The author uses constructivist theory and argues that this approach has much to offer policymakers when it comes to understanding the nature of norms as well as how and why they change.
Extract
The 2013 horsemeat scandal drew attention to the issue of food fraud in the European Union and highlighted the potential health and economic risks associated with such frauds. In the aftermath of the scandal, this article examines the effectiveness of the European Union ’ s legal framework in protecting against future frauds. It argues that this will only by achieved if this operates as a strong deterrent, which places potential fraudsters at significant risk of being apprehended. In the light of this, the article evaluates the measures in place to deter fraud in both food products manufactured within the European Union and in those imported from third countries. In doing so, it examines both the European Union ’ s legislative framework and the manner in which it has been implemented across Member States. Finally, the article concludes by examining Member State cooperation in addressing cross-border food fraud, such as the one perpetrated in the horsemeat scandal itself.
European Public Law