A “new” coordination system of European diplomatic representation in third countries: assessing its emergence and impact

The Lisbon Treaty formally changed the representation of the European Union abroad by upgrading the former EC delegations to comprehensive EU delegations and putting the High Representative in the centre of a more strategic and effective EU foreign policy implementation. On the ground in third countries, EU delegations took over the task of the rotating presidencies to represent the Union abroad and to renew coordination modes between member states´ embassies. In doing so, the EU delegation is meant to “act in close cooperation with member states´ diplomatic and consular missions”.

This paper shows how the transformation of EU diplomatic coordination on the ground evolved in different types of third countries, and assesses this transformation in terms of path dependent developments over time and breaks with the past. It also conceptualises what impact the upgraded EU delegation role has on EU diplomatic coordination on the ground; Even more so, the paper asks what impact a more coordinated system of European diplomatic representation has on the visibility of the European Union as a foreign policy actor towards the host country.

The paper challenges the developed conceptual assumptions with a most-difficult case study, by drawing on evidence from empirical research in Washington DC and by questioning the usefulness of adding a stronger political EU layer to the European interest representation in the United States.