Conclusion: Are We There Yet? The EU’s Geopolitical Ambitions Reassessed
摘要
The concluding chapter to this edited volume takes stock of the preceding nine chapters, drawing more overarching conclusions to the question driving this very volume, namely the extent to which we see the European Union’s proclaimed geopolitical ambition in its external relations turn into reality on the ground. By means of four chapters that specifically assess the EU’s (geopolitical) actorness vis-à-vis third countries, regional blocks and international organizations and five chapters that serve as empirical snapshots testifying to the EU’s increased geopolitical character (or the lack thereof) in specific policy domains, this chapter concludes that the proclaimed geopolitical turn can be observed in practice, but that this is time- and issue-specific. In other words, there is not a European Union that would always think and act geopolitically, which can be primarily traced back to the ever-present lack of a clear (working) definition of what geopolitics (but also strategic autonomy) means and requires and to the EU’s institutional (and decision-making) structures in place. This chapter furthermore highlights the need to renegotiate the balance between the EU’s interest- and values-driven policies and policy responses, a balancing act that stands at the core of the Union’s geopolitical pragmatism, which—as an approach—we observe to be shaping the EU’s external relations in several of the policy areas scrutinized in this volume.