ABSTRACT
Whilst any international actor faces problems in maintaining a certain coherence between its behaviour and its self-image (Holsti 1970; Aggestam 1999), in the case of the European Union (EU) these problems are amplified by its peculiar nature. First, if identity and self-image are never given once and for all, in the case of the EU they are highly in-the-making: role conceptions, therefore, are not simply the result of a self-image but also an instrument in the process of constructing a political identity. Second, for the same reason, role performance and impact feed back into the process of identity-building more than in the case of political systems in which political identity is more consolidated. Third, the institutional architecture of the EU makes it a peculiar actor whose ability to maintain coherence in role performance seems to depend on the degree of integration reached in each specific area of policy, something which clearly does not happen in traditional political systems (i.e. states). Fourth, coherence in self-image, role conception and performance is further challenged by the unsettled question of the geographic borders of the EU. Given all these difficulties, can we talk of a specific EU identity and self-image? Does this shape a distinctive international role for the EU? Where does distinctiveness rest and with which limits and implication for the overall process of integration? This chapter tackles these questions by taking the unconventional perspective of looking at the specific values and principles that emerge out of the analysis of the EU foreign policy. The analysis shows that what is distinctive of the EU is a peculiar interpretation of a set of values and principles that are shared by a large part of the international community.
