How does delegation structure shape agent discretion in EU foreign policy? Evidence from the Normandy Format and the Contact Group on Libya

Differentiated cooperation as the mode of governance in EU foreign policy

“…Such resources may include EU operational capacities, such as EU economic assets (e.g. EU sanctioning power and the Normandy Format, Amadio Viceré, 2021a;Sus, 2023). In general, however, they always include EU legitimacy and reputation.…”

“…Therefore, in differentiated integration, EU institutions are in the position to influence the differentiated interactions among the member states. In differentiated cooperation, in turn, member states devolve limited discretionary power to EU institutions, which are unable to influence interactions among member states (Sus, 2023). Indeed, in DC EU institutions are frequently neglected and relegated to acting as member states' operative branches and administrative support.…”

“…Such alignment happened EU member states and third countries in diplomatic statements at the OSCE (Schade, 2023). Additionally, while DI generally relies on centralized capabilities at the EU level, DC relies on both centralized EU capabilities and on the pooling of member states' decentralized resources, as well as on a combination of both (Amadio Viceré, 2023;Sus, 2023). The negotiations led by France and Germany within the Normandy format, were accompanied by the activities of the High Representative, who coordinated the sanctions against Russia and monitored the implementation of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement (Sus, 2023).…”

“…The first four papers tackle the drivers, modes, and implications of DC within and across various sectors of EU foreign policy. The authors examine the emergence of informal groupings in the EU approach to conflicts and crisis management (Amadio Viceré, 2023); explore the structure of delegation from the members states to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission and its implications for the agency of the post-holders with regard to informal groupings (Sus, 2023); discuss the only example of treaty-based formal differentiated cooperation in EU security and defense (Martill & Gebhard, 2023); and identify what drives political parties and governments of Nordic countries to support the participation of their countries in EU Battlegroups (Leruth, 2023). The following two papers complement the analysis by reflecting on the driving forces, modes, and implications of DC in multilateral settings.…”

“…In this context, the special issue demonstrated that internal DC allows member states to overcome the heterogeneity of their preferences, as well the institutional constraints on the EU collective action. Additionally, it can lead to a division of labor between the EU and subgroups of member states as the case of the Normandy Format indicates (Sus, 2023). External DC, in turn, enables the involvement of non-EU states in the EU framework.…”