IMPLEMENTING EU GLOBAL STRATEGY: CHALLENGES FOR EU DIPLOMACY

The Treaty of Lisbon gave new institutional ideas regarding EU external actions which were the basis for taking further steps in strengthening the effectiveness of the EU as an international actor. The EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy – EUGS (2016) was prepared as a response to the need for a stronger Europe in times of crisis. The new strategic document together with its institutional framework places a question over EU diplomatic capability in its implementation. The aim of this paper is to analyze relations between the assumptions of the EUGS and EU diplomatic potential, with special emphasis on the European External Action Service. The author poses the following research questions: what are the institutional challenges in implementing the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy? What are the capabilities of the EU diplomatic system in responding to global threats and challenges? What are the roles of the European External Action Service and member states in implementing EUGS priorities?