Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T05:12:27.605Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - European Integration and the United Nations

from Global Challenges: International Politics, the Planet and the Universe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2023

By
Edith Drieskens
Edited by
Mathieu Segers  and
Steven Van Hecke
Mathieu Segers
Affiliation:
Universiteit Maastricht, Netherlands
Steven Van Hecke
Affiliation:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Get access

Summary

This chapter analyses how the United Nations (UN) as an intergovernmental organisation, has shaped the functioning of the European Union (EU) and its member states in global governance over the years. The EU is often seen, both by scholars and by practitioners, as a special, even unique actor in the UN context, characterised by high levels of support, cooperation, institutionalisation and formalisation.

This chapter approaches uniqueness not as a mantra, but as a question of empirical validation, by zooming in on the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This organ embodies the principle of universality by bringing together all UN members and, in addition, allowing a wide variety of observers to participate in its work, including the EU. While the latter’s functioning is well-documented, there remain some blind spots to be addressed, such as the UNGA’s decision to grant the European Economic Community (EEC) observer status in October 1974.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of the European Union , pp. 345 - 365
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Recommended Reading

Bourantonis, D. and Blavoukos, S. (eds.). The EU in UN Politics (London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).Google Scholar
Drieskens, E. ‘The United Nations’, MOOC lecture (2023), https://youtu.be/WGtnHE73Abk.Google Scholar
EUN-NET eLearning Portal on EU–UN Relations, https://wb-ilias.uni-freiburg.de/goto.php?target=crs_122050&client_id=unifreiburgwb.Google Scholar
Hoffmeister, F., Ruys, T. and Wouters, J. (eds.). The United Nations and the European Union: An Ever Stronger Partnership (The Hague, TMC Asser Press, 2006).Google Scholar
Laatikainen, K. V. and Smith, K. E. (eds.). The European Union at the United Nations: Intersecting Multilateralisms (London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×