EU Representation and Coordination within the United Nations

Abstract

The European Union (EU) may be considered to have reached a high point in its evolution as a political community with the recent enlargement that created a union of 25 countries, stretching from the Iberian peninsula to the borders of Russia. This latest stage of European integration coincides with the expressed intention of the EU to play a more influential role in global affairs, seeking to overturn the long-held view of the Union as a sui generis political entity that is an economic giant yet a political dwarf on the world stage. Despite the apparent difficulties associated with the limitations on its power to act coherently and speak with one voice on the international stage, the EU nevertheless has declared the collective will to enhance its international status.