09/12/2010

EU Diplomacy After Lisbon: The Case of China Dr. Bo Zhiyue, East Asian Institute National University of Singapore Frauke Austermann Graduate School in Global Politics Free University Berlin/Renmin University of China

Content 

Part I: The Treaty of Lisbon and EU Foreign Policy  



Part II: EU Delegations: More Coherence after Lisbon?  



The Treaty of Lisbon New foreign policy offices

Neo-functionalism versus Liberal Intergovernmentalism g Global trends and the case of China

Concluding Remarks

1

09/12/2010

Part I: The Treatyy of Lisbon and EU Foreign Policy

Treaty of Lisbon 

The Treaty of Lisbon on EU Foreign Policy  





New mechanisms of foreign policy making High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy European External Action Service (EEAS)

Implementation 



Catherine Ashton as the first EU “Foreign Foreign Minister” The first round of appointments of EU Delegation Heads and Deputy Heads

2

an

1

is h

1

Sw ed

2

D an is h

2

D ut ch

1

Po lis h

2

Au st ria n

ia n em bo ur ge oi se

1

Bu lg ar

ue se

er m

2

Po rtu g

G

ch

2

Fr en

Be lg ia n

Iri sh

3

Lu x

Ita lia n

ua ni an

Sp an is h

Li th

09/12/2010

Catherine Ashton and Dai Bingguo

Figure 1 New EU Ambassadors

6

5 5

4

3 3

2

2

1

1

1

0

3

09/12/2010

Part II: EU Delegations: M More C Coherence h after ft Lisbon?

Three key points 1) EU Delegations play more essential roles in diplomacy 2) Limited centralization in strategically important countries such as China 3) Different speeds of coherence in EU foreign policy across the globe

4

09/12/2010

Basic assumptions about coherence - increase coherence = increase i coordination di i = increase centralization at the EU level = in turn: authority transfer from national to supranational level

Competing EU integration theories I Neo-functionalism - Functional spillover - Externalization - Endogenous, teleological process - Agent becomes the principal, authority transfer - Incrementally more coherence in general

5

09/12/2010

Competing EU integration theories II Liberal Intergovernmentalism - Exogenous process - Increase domestic power resources - Integrating low not high politics - Different speeds of coherence - EU foreign policy: Liberal Intergovernmentalism has “won” the debate

Lisbon: Comeback of Neo-functionalism? 

Lisbon as a new era?



Study on EU Delegations

6

09/12/2010

EU Delegations: Quantitative development I EC/EU Offices in Third Countries 180 165 160

Numb ber of Offices

140 124

126

1997

2004

120

100 89 80

60

50 41

40

30 18

20 1 0 1954

1963

1973

1975

1980

1988

2010

EU Delegations: Quantitative development II Staff Working in EC/EU Delegations E European Staff St ff

T t l Staff Total St ff

4000 3720 3500

Numberr of Staff

3000 2570 2500

2000 1643 1440

1500

900

1000

440

500

320

250

120 0 1973

1975

1988

2004

2011

7

09/12/2010

Spread of EU missions worldwide

Qualitative development: Upgrading delegations' tasks 1954 1972 1977 1982 1993 2004 2010

Provide technical aid,, contractors Diplomatic status Represent the EC, diplomatic protection, EC staff Central inspection unit Maastricht institutionalization, foreign policy tasks Manage preparation budgets for new member states Lisbon: local EU Presidency for EU Delegations

8

09/12/2010

About the local EU Presidency - internal coordination of EU policies * draft the agenda for working groups * chair policy domain specific working groups * take notes and send them around - external representation towards the host country * represent the entire EU * initiate démarches with host country * brief and inform EU colleagues accordingly

China, a critical test for Lisbon 

Repeated calls for more coherence towards China



Ob t l Obstacles: a) member states have high stakes with China b) institutional consolidation of the EU as an ongoing process

9

09/12/2010

Lisbon's impact in Beijing: higher centralization, more coherence  



EU Delegation as communication hub EU Delegation as upgraded interlocutor with host country At the expense of member states' visibility; less dynamism

EU working groups in Beijing Formation 1 Ambassadors 2 Deputy Ambassadors 3 Political Counselors 4 Culture 5 Development 6 Agriculture 7 Human Rights 8 Administration 9 Commerce 10 Environment 11 Press 12 Finance 13 Consular affairs 14 Science and Technology 15 Defense attachés (inf.)

Regularity 1/month 3-4 times/month 1/month 2-3/semester 2/semester 3/semester 1/month 3/semester 1/month 3 or more/semester 2/semester 3/semester 4/semester 2/semester 1-2/semester

Attendance turnout 100% 100% 90-100% 90% 90% 85% 80% 75-80% 70% 75% 70% 66% 66% 60% 50%

10

09/12/2010

Recent EU Presidencies in Beijing Year

Term

2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009

fi t first second first second first second

2010 permanently

Member state

Staff in Beijing

G Germany Portugal Slovenia France Czech Republic Sweden

190 20* 9 250* 23 55

EU Delegation

120

*estimate based on number of diplomatic personnel

Reversal of roles - Issue of checks and balances - Reversal of high and low politics * EU Delegations: political tasks * National embassies: bilateral agenda, trade promotion, culture, tourism - Reversal of principal and agent * Member states feed expertise into the EU Delegation

11

09/12/2010

'See you at the EU Delegation': Practical and symbolic centralization

The image cannot be display ed. Your computer may not hav e enough memory to open the image, or the image may hav e been corrupted. Restart y our computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, y ou may hav e to delete the image and then insert it again.

12

09/12/2010

The link ed image cannot be display ed. The file may hav e been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.

Summary of neo-functionalist logic in Beijing and beyond 

Increase in resources for EU Delegations – –



Functional spillovers Externalization

Improved strategic position for EU Delegations 

Especially with Lisbon





Internal coordination  External interaction with host country Generally more centralization and coherence

13

09/12/2010

'Liberal Intergovernmentalism is dead, long live liberal intergovernmentalism!' 



Strong EU Delegation in Beijing but also strong member state representation Limited coherence in Beijing?

Global trend: Density of EU member state embassies

14

09/12/2010

Large embassies in Beijing Top 5 worldwide

Middle-size/small

Germany France UK The Netherlands Italy Ireland Finland Denmark Slovenia Hungary Malta Sweden Belgium Czech Republic NB: EU Delegation, too!

Greece Portugal Austria Slovakia Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Cyprus Estonia

Embassy staff development in Beijing Country Germany France Belgium Luxembourg Netherlands Italy Ireland Greece Portugal Spain Finland Denmark Sweden Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Slovenia Hungary Malta Cyprus NB: EU Delegation

Expansion Country continuous growth Latvia + 1 political diplomat Bulgaria + 2 diplomats Austria + 1 diplomat + 4 political diplomats; + 14 economic diplomats + 3 diplomats + 1 diplomat + 1 diplomat + 1 diplomat + 2 economic officials; politics: n.d. + 2 diplomats (1 political/ 1 economic) + 4 diplomats; +50% economic department +/- 0 political diplomats; +50% economic department + 5 diplomats + 4 diplomats (1 political, 3 economic diplomats) + 1 diplomats + 3 diplomats + 3 diplomats + 1 diplomat + 2 Cypriots (attend EU working groups) + 90 total staff; post Lisbon: + 4 diplomats

Contraction - 3 diplomats +/- 0 diplomats +/- 0 diplomats +/

15

09/12/2010

Seniority of ambassadors in Beijing Embassy Greece Cyprus Portugal Spain France Italy Slovenia EU Delegation Austria Ireland Bulgaria Germany Slovakia Finland Sweden UK Romania Hungary Czech Rep

Name Theodoros Georgakelos Marios Ieronymides José Tadeu Costa Soares Carlos Blasco Villa Herve Ladsous Riccardo Sessa Marija Adanja Serge Abou Martin Sajdik Declan Kelleher Georgi Peychinov Michael Schaefer Zigmund Bertok Lars Backstrom Lars Peter Fredén James Sebastian Wood Viorel Isticioaia Sándor Zoltán Kusai Libor Secka

Years of service Since 1970s Since 1970 Since 1971 Since 1972 Since 1973 Since 1973 Since 1974 (ex-Yugoslavia) Since 1974 Since 1975 Since 1977 Since 1978 Since 1978 Since 1979 Since 1982 Since 1982 Since 1983 Since 1985 Since 1985 Since 1986

Previous posting Athens, Director of European foreign policy Department Nikosia, Director Department of Overseas Cypriots Ambassador to Thailand Madrid General Director Asia Department Madrid, Paris, Director Asia Department Rome, Director General for the Mediterranean and Middle East Desk Ljubiljana, Director of International Development Department Principal Counsellor in Romano Prodi's Cabinet Vienna, Director of Department for Economies and Integration Politics Ambassador in Permanent Representation to the EU, Brussels Sofia, Political Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Berlin, Political Director Bratislava, Director Department of Central and Northern Europe Ambassador to Thailand Ambassador to Macedonia/Kosovo/Albania Secondment to Rolls Royce Group Ambassador to Korea Budapest, Deputy Director Department of Foreign Policy Strategic Planning Prague, Director General EU Department

Latvia *) Poland Estonia *) Lithuania *) Luxembourg Denmark Malta Netherlands

Ingrida Levrence Tadeusz Chomicki Andres Unga Rokas Bernotas Carlo Krieger Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen Carl Xuereb Rudolf Simon Bekink

Since 1990s Since 1991 Since 1991 Since 1991 Since 1990 Since 1992 from private sector

Riga, Under State Secretary Ambassador to Greece Vilnius, Director Department of Multilateral Relations Ambassador to Moscow Deputy Ambassador in Permanent Representation to the EU, Brussels Senior manager in banking sector Ambassador to Belgium

A strong EU Delegation enhances member states' resources 

Member states outsource work to EU  



Focus on bilateral agenda No decrease in contacts with Chinese, except for Presidency

Chinese preference for bilateralism: Externalisation reversed?

16

09/12/2010

Strategic transformation of EU Delegations

Strategic EU Delegations' posts for member states Distribution of ambassadorial posts in EU Delegations, 15.09.2010 Member state candidates Afghanistan (Lithuanian) Albania (Italian) Argentina (Spanish) Botswana (Irish) Burundi (Belgian) China (German) Georgia (Bulgarian) Japan (Austrian) Macedonia (Danish) Namibia (Spanish) Singapore (Luxembourgian) South Africa (Dutch)

Commission candidates Angola (Spanish) Bangladesh (Irish) Chad (French) Gabon (Portuguese) Guinea-Bissau (Spanish) Haiti (Luxembourgian) Lebanon (Dutch) Mozambique (Irish) Pakistan (Swedish) Papua New Guinea (German) Philippines (French) Senegal (Belgian) South Korea (Polish) Uganda (Italian) Zambia (French)

17

09/12/2010

New EU Ambassador to Beijing - Markus Ederer - Germany G - 53 years old - Director Policy Planning Unit, German Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Concluding Remarks • Treaty of Lisbon as new framework for foreign-policy making • First high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Catherine Ashton • The EEAS is still in the making • Member states are competing for key posts of EU delegations • EU Delegations play more essential roles in diplomacy • Limited centralization in strategically important countries such as China • Different speeds of coherence in EU foreign policy across the globe

18