The EU and Multilateral Negotiations

Delreux T. (2026), 'The EU and Multilateral Negotiations' in Knodt M., Chaban N., Costa O., Müller P. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of European Union Politics, Abingdon, Routledge, p. 520-530. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003488736-47/eu-multilateral-negotiations-tom-delreux 

Abstract

This chapter sheds light on the European Union (EU) as an actor in multilateral negotiations. The EU is indeed an active participant in many multilateral settings, where it frequently acts on behalf of the member states. The chapter first discusses the EU's traditional support for rule-based multilateralism in global governance, as well as the challenges the EU is facing in an era when multilateralism is increasingly contested and weakened. Subsequently, arguing that the EU operates differently in different multilateral negotiations, the chapter shows that the EU's formal status, external representation arrangements, internal coordination mechanisms, as well as its effectiveness and influence considerably vary between different multilateral negotiation settings.