Painting the CFSP in national colours: Portuguese strategies to help shape the EU’s external relations

Abstract

The agenda-setting power of the rotating Council presidency presented successive Portuguese governments with an opportunity to externalize the country’s core foreign-policy priorities onto the European level. As such, Portugal’s presidencies of the Council of the European Union have been particularly instrumental in formalizing relations between the EU and the Lusophone world. The first and second EU–Africa summits, the first EU–Brazil summit, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Commission and the Executive Secretariat of the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP), and the closer association of Cape Verde to the EU, all occurred while Portugal held the rotating Council presidency. This article discusses the strategies, challenges and successes of the three Portuguese presidencies (1992, 2000 and 2007) in shaping the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It also explores the options available to Portugal in the post-Lisbon era, where the rotating Council presidency’s agenda-setting powers are considerably reduced with regard to CFSP matters. Both prior to and since the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force, Portugal’s strategy has been to stress its historic links to Africa and Brazil, as these relations constitute Portugal’s contribution to building the CFSP, furthering its core national foreign-policy priorities by putting its position in the Lusophone world at the disposal of the European Union’s external action.

Portugal in the European Union

“…Scholarly works are clear that, while drawing on longstanding historic, cultural and linguistic affinities in five continents, the governing elites have successfully undertaken it during the country's Presidencies of the Council of the EU, notably in the realms of CFSP and CSDP (Robinson 2015a;Ferreira-Pereira, 2008;Magone, 2001; (see below). This has enabled them to further reinforce Portuguese commitment and contribution(s) to the political integration process; and ultimately to reconstruct the country's post-colonial role reflecting its new and modern place in the world politics (Magone, 2004;2008;2014b).…”

“…There is a small, albeit consistent, body of academic literature approaching the Portuguese Presidencies of the Council of European Union that started to develop since the first decade of 2000s (Cunha and Magone, 2015;Magone, 2015;Robinson, 2015a;Ferreira-Pereira, 2008;Edwards and Wiessala, 2001). This specific literature touches upon the way in which successive governments endeavoured to project national foreign policy interests and preferences onto the EU agenda ('uploading').…”

Portugal’s strategic response to Brexit: enduring Europeanisation?

“…However, Atlantic motivations have moulded Portugal's involvement in CSDP, which has developed as complementary to NATO (Ferreira-Pereira 2014). Moreover, Lisbon was relatively successful at uploading its Lusophone priorities during its previous Council presidencies, contributing to the upgrading of EU policies on Africa and Brazil (Ferreira-Pereira 2008;Robinson 2015). The importance given to other international fora and the instrumental projection of national preferences onto the EU level would have prevented a deeper Europeanisation of Portuguese foreign policy (Raimundo 2013;Robinson 2016).…”

The Eurozone crisis’ impact: a de-Europeanization of Greek and Portuguese foreign policies?

“…Atlantic motivations have guided Portugal's participation in EU security and defence policy, which has developed as complementary to NATO (Ferreira-Pereira 2007). Also, Lisbon was relatively successful at uploading its Lusophone priorities during its past Council presidencies, contributing to an upgrading of Brussels' relations with Africa and Brazil (Robinson 2015). This prominence given to other international fora and the instrumental projection of national preferences onto the EU level would have foreclosed a deeper Europeanization (Raimundo 2013;Robinson 2016).…”