ABSTRACT
– As the key mediators and brokers, balancers are involved in striking the right balance among member states in the EU and NATO. States such as Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain are deeply embedded in multilateral structures and make use of their bilateral and minilateral relations to mitigate inter-state tensions and to avoid the emergence of additional obstacles to interorganisational cooperation. While their military capabilities and contributions to operations is generally low, their key assets are their negotiation and brokering skills as well as their networked approach to foreign and security policy.
