Over 60 years since its creation, the European Union has managed to sustain an entirely unique entity unlike anything else preceding it. It describes itself as a series of 28 Member States, all fundamentally built on a unified standard of regulation, security and negotiation under a single currency. One of the EU’s main goals has been to create a political and economic thread allowing for barrier-free trading and enhancement of economic efficiency within the marketplace. On the official EU website, a message of philanthropy and moral ethic emphasizes the idea that, the EU defends the multilateral effectiveness that the United Nations proliferates. However, in order to engage as an intergovernmental forum, partnerships must be built on the agreement between interconnected country ties and global concern for corresponding affairs. This level of collaboration furthers the extent to which both partners can work together on international issues.
For instance, the EU works closely with the UN Secretariat and numerous other Agenciesclaiming that, “we are engaged in rebuilding lives and communities in areas of conflict such as Afghanistan. We support efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, promote sound environmental practices, and contribute to global effort to control nuclear proliferation.” Hence, the relationship has remained increasingly broad on issues such as climate change, crisis management and human rights, but when the conversation cannot be agreed upon, then divergence within the internal commitment both organizations harbor is put to the test.
The key role the UN plays in the global scheme of political and economic relations with the EU relies on its research of countries and issues pertaining to controversial discussions. By having these discussions, the push for action on urgent issues mainly focused on human rights management becomes a consistent framework at the heart of both the EU and United Nations. A fundamental flaw arises, however, when the key role of the United Nations is to ensure and protect human rights considerations and engage advocacy for the security of civilians and responsibility for past crimes or atrocities committed against a people but also to provide preventative measures against any future forms of violation. Although the EU and the United Nations harbor a definitive relationship in terms of combatting global challenges, there is a deep-rooted bias toward serving and initiating Western ideals and values within the global community.
In order to understand the inner workings of EU involvement within the UN, it is important to recognize where it all began. The EU’s initial political involvement in the UN began with the Bosnia Herzegovina mission in which a successful mandate was concluded. The UNMIBH was disassembled on December 31, 2002 in agreement with Security Council resolution 1423. From January 1st 2003, the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) was the designated patrol operating group for the mission and showcased to the UN that legal protocols would remain in place and be abided by as well as the effort to ensure a smooth transition.
For instance, the UN’s “peacekeeping” operations, currently located in more than a dozen different countries including northern Africa and parts of the Middle East has created a present day informal hypocrisy of how much the UN should be influenced by the power and commitment to the European Union. A more pressing debate is that surrounding the EU’s appointment of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC), which has the power to generate these peacekeeping missions, inflict international sanctions and also permit the use of military action against a sovereign state. On the other hand, this operational condition has raised tensions in the political and economic arena of the international world stage. The EU’s particular dynamics in fostering economic and international cooperation has been altered by the political ideals.
The goal of creating a more singular security and foreign policy for EU trade relations has served up until 2009 with the Treaty of Lisbon. The Treaty sought to reform the structure of the EU since the initiation of more member states, redefining the measures that can be taken politically at the European level of policy enforcement. Up until the Lisbon Treaty instatement, one of the main ‘pillars’ for EU policy was the Common Security and Foreign Policy (CSFP) which results in a collaboration of the CSFP and the External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy. A High Representative holds jurisdiction over the new merging of these two policy making sects, resulting in the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS), serving as a vessel for diplomatic negotiations throughout the EU. However, on May 3, 2011, the EU secured what was deemed ‘super-observer’ status granting “the delegation of the European Union the right to make interventions, as well as the right to reply and the ability to present oral proposals and amendments” within the UN Assembly. Given this new development, controversy has been sparked around the idea that the EU has a considerable hold on the foreign affairs of a world organization and that their interests will therefore be brought forth before evaluating the correct course of action.
A possible alternative to having the ‘super-observer’ status, is to establish a permanent seat in the United Nations for the EU and replace the United Kingdom and France’s permanent seats. Many members of the UN conducted heated debates. In example, Zimbabwe’s representative “expressed concern that, while the Assembly was an intergovernmental body whose membership was limited to Member States, the text as a whole threatened to undermine the Organization…by creating a new category of observer.” However, representatives of the EU have ensured that the the rights will remain cautious of the position of an intergovernmental organization and that the regional body would in no way negatively impact any State from addressing the UN. The unspoken truth is simple and the international community, especially to smaller and less politically developed countries who will bear the brunt of such an agreement by not having the influence or resources to negotiate on an even playing field.
Although the UN Charter stipulates that all member states must uphold military and and necessary armed forces, there is no real way to get countries to comply under the charter. Therefore, the EU serves as a military power in global crises that can provide extraordinary power in civilian and combat capabilities, “the structure of troop contribution and funding mechanisms of peace operations raises a series of delicate questions related to the division of labour between different categories of states,” which begs the question where such ‘great outsourcing’ could come from. The EU member states pay 36.81% of the UN peacekeeping budget, contribution of €600 million to the EDF African Peace Facility in 2013 and contribution to the Instrument for Stability (IFS) “in support of ‘crisis response measures’ and ‘pre-and post-crisis capacity-building equalling around €325 million in commitment appropriations”
The UN’s attempt to combat the war on drugs and crime since 1997, has resulted in a merger between all regions of the world who seek to contribute and as such, 90% of its budget comes from the joint representation of countries working together to create a lasting effect on the state of transnational borders. “People feel that the EU is a one-way process, a great machine that sucks up decision-making from national parliaments to the European level until everything is decided by the EU. That needs to change” argue William Hague a British Conservative politician and former Member of Parliament.
Ultimately, the European Union and United Nations compliment one another in that they are both multi-governmental groups in prominent regions of the world seeking to overcome future and past conflicts by embracing an integrative framework for socio-economic policy and decision-making. However, when the EU and United Nations do not stand together on issues of corresponding interest, then the European Union’s self interests trump the overall needs of the global economy and political atmosphere.
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