EU Geopolitical Actorness in a Changing World

This book elaborates on the assumption that the European Union (EU) actorness might be shifting from normative to geopolitical and strategic focus. Over the past few years, the EU has faced growing challenges such as disruptions in its vicinity, diffusion of global power, and renewed geopolitical competition. These external pressures have significantly impacted the EU, prompting it, among other measures, to announce a “Geopolitical Commission.” Academic literature has acknowledged the EU’s shift from normative power to an increasingly geoeconomic and geopolitical approach. However, the notion of geopolitical actorness warrants closer scrutiny of its implications on foreign policy. This edited volume critically examines the EU’s evolving strategy in a changing world. It provides a conceptual framework for rethinking the Union’s global role and the renewal of foreign policy tools. The book offers a fresh and innovative perspective on whether the EU’s ambition to assert new geopolitical leadership is actually backed by the effective implementation of policies and strategies needed to address emerging global challenges.

Liridon Lika is a lecturer at the Center for International Relations Studies (CEFIR) at the Department of Political Science of the University of Liège (ULiège) in Belgium.

Dealan Riga is a researcher and teaching assistant at the Center for International Relations Studies (CEFIR) at the Department of Political Science of the University of Liège (ULiège) in Belgium.