Would a stronger common foreig
Would a stronger common foreign and security policy make the EU more 'legitimate' in the eyes of its citizens?In this essay I will be firstly touching on what is meant by the notion of legitimacy and why the EU has had problems concerning it, I will next explain what a common foreign and security policy is. I shall subsequently argue that a stronger common foreign and security policy would help make the EU more legitimate in the eyes of its citizens, concluding by questioning if a stronger common foreign and security policy alone would legitimate the EU.To answer this question, I must first address what is meant by the concept of legitimacy, specifically in relation to the EU and its legitimacy problems. Traditionally legitimacy is defined as the 'ability of a political system to articulate interests and provide for the needs of the group it is mandated to represent' [Weiler, 1997], instrumental and functional viewpoints on legitimacy share the beliefs that collective identity, shared backgrounds, cultures and norms are necessary to integrate the political and social realms. This is the main issue in the EU as it does not engender a sense of common background or values, nor does it have the resources for monopoly of vio
A strong Common Foreign and Security policy now, would increase the legitimacy of the EU as it is 'newsworthy' beyond specific 'high-brow' and topic-specific journals and papers, meaning that cohesive, strong and well defined policies made by the EU from the CFSP will serve output-orientated efficiency, by making the citizens note the 'government for the people'. The security policy concerns answering external military threats and other threats such as terrorism and social unrest. A strong CFSP now would be especially useful for EU legitimacy due to global events and the War on Terrorism, as any policies will be very much in the public eye. Yet the legitimacy of the EU is currently undermined by the CFSP, it is perceived as weak: 'opinion polls showed that the EU's policies on Bosnia, Kosovo, as well as the Middle East and Africa, were seen as ineffective' [Palmer, 1998]. A stronger and more unified and consistent CFSP would counter this perception, especially if it is practically able to bind states to the joint actions, common strategies or common positions. In this next section I will be considering how a strong common foreign and security policy would legitimate the EU. With a stronger CFSP, a greater sense of 'them' and 'us' can be engendered among EU citizens, this is due to the fact that with a stronger policy on security and a clear, unified foreign policy, citizens would be more reconciled to the idea that the EU is "their Union". Finally it is important to be aware that a stronger CFSP alone will not increase the legitimacy of the EU in the eyes of its citizens and that perhaps the EU should also look to strengthening the other two pillars of the EU institutional framework as well. A more cohesive CFSP would counter the perception that co-operation would break-down in the face of national interest. Rather than input-orientated sources of legitimacy, the EU must then draw mostly upon output-orientated sources 'government for the people', whereby the EU will be seen as legitimate if and because of its efficiency in promoting common welfare [Scharpf, 1999:6]. This source of legitimacy must be found elsewhere, perhaps through the other pillars of the EU institutional framework. If some of this sovereignty is yielded to the EU and the EU is able to respond by having a strong CFSP, authority and thereby legitimacy will be conferred to the EU by its citizens. Other 'hot' topics are the economic front of the European Union as well as in the Courts of Justice (the first and third pillars of the institutional framework of the EU), legitimacy of the EU in the eyes of its citizens is well on the way to being obtained, the authority and thereby the legitimacy of the EU is regarded harshly by sceptics, but still accepted, even though with reservations [Winn and Lord, 2001]. would the EU have to be more legitimate in the eyes of its citizens in order to have a stronger CFSP? Security and foreign policies must have the backing of its citizens, people must believe that the EU has the authority to make decisions for them in the international arena and that the Union is able and has the right to defend them in order for the EU to be legitimate. This can be shown by the successes of, for example, the single European currency, the European Central Bank and many cases being taken to the Supreme Court.
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Acceptance Essays
