The Pros And Cons Of Multilateralism

The European Union (EU) is an alliance of fifteen independent states based on the European Communities, initiated to enhance political, economic and social co-operation among European nations. EU is the result of the initial cooperation and integration between six countries, namely Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. The main mission of the EU is to establish coherent relationships between the member states and their people on the basis of solidarity. Moreover, one of the main objectives of the EU is to promote economical and social growth and this has been somewhat achieved thus far through the creation of a single market in 1993 as well as the single currency in 1999. Introducing a European citizenship, as well

After adopting effective multilateralism as a core principle of European Security in 2003, the EU seems to have accomplished little in this field, due to inconsistency in its approach. Rather, in the aftermath of the Iraq war, European foreign-policy makers used the positive connotations of multilateralism to create with the term ‘effective multilateralism’ a strategic concept that can unite four different European views on multilateralism under a single umbrella. Their aim was to create (a) internal cohesion in the EU; (b) strategic coherence regarding European means and ends; and (c) legitimacy for the EU’s international actions. However, the empirical study of ‘effective multilateralism’ in the case of multilateral non-proliferation regimes shows that in practice the three functions of the concept are not always easy to achieve. As such, the purpose of this paper is to find out if effective multilateralism does exist in the EU and what the EU can do to achieve its objectives while engaging in

The European Union has been involved with the United Nations as an observer since 1974, with delegatations at five major UN sites. After two decades, the EU was given an enhanced observer status from 2011, after which it has been able to submit its own proposals, circulate documents and even participate in the debates. The EU-UN partnership consists of a huge range of issues, from fighting corruption and crime to peacebuilding in conflict-ridden countries and addressing global health concerns. The EU mainly supports the core mandate of the UN, which is to promote and monitor human rights issues in the world. By working hand in hand, the EU and the UN have been attempting to make human rights a reality in people’s daily lives and the EU seems to have developed its capacities to provide the necessary support to the UN. The UN’s secretary-general, Mr Ban Ki-Moon had stated in an interview that the UN and the EU have made a huge difference in the lives of the needy and vulnerable and have “achieved a lot more than either organization could have on its