
The European Union – A Geopolitical Actor?
In 2019, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that she aspires to lead a “geopolitical Commission”, which should be reflected in the EU’s external action. Yet, given the several hurdles the EU faces in is Common Foreign and Security Policy, it remains unclear to what extent the EU will be able to live up to its geopolitical ambition in its external action and how it will step up its game as a geopolitical actor.

“Ups, we did it again” – What EU (in)action on Belarus tells us about the EU as a „global actor”
Looking at recent developments in Belarus in August 2020 and the EU’s slow response, it becomes again clear that the EU needs a thorough reform in its CFSP decision-making to step up its game as a global actor and normative power.