Studying External Perceptions of the EU: Conceptual and Methodological Approaches

Abstract

The European Union’s (EU’s) leadership capacity in the international arena is not determined by only the EU itself. It is also influenced by external actors’ perceptions of the EU’s roles and by their reactions to EU initiatives. Is the EU perceived as a legitimate actor that has something valuable to contribute? Are its promises seen as credible? Are its policies and actions perceived as coherent? In the coming years, the EU will face a number of important international negotiations, which will shape future global governance structures: new efforts to save a free trade agreement within the World Trade Organization (WTO), attempts to decide on global rules to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases, and the EU’s aspirations to become a strong global energy governance player, just to name a few. In all these cases, outsiders’ perceptions of the EU will be key to the Union’s impact on the outcome. The EU’s economic and financial crisis adds to the uncertainty surrounding EU influence: in what ways may the crisis change other actors’ images of the Union?