Facing the Giant: Southern perspectives on the European Union

Abstract

The European Union portrays itself as a different global actor. This self-representation has triggered a debate around the EU as a global ‘normative power’, while providing momentum for innovative research into how other societies view and assess the global performance of the EU. For the first time this article presents the findings of a study conducted respectively in Brazil, India and South Africa. As leading nations of the ‘global South’, these three countries offer important insights into how the EU is perceived not only in emerging markets, but also in the so-called developing world at large. The findings reveal that the EU is an unknown entity to most citizens in these countries and is rarely covered by local media. Moreover, it is often criticised for inconsistencies and double standards by political elites and civil society, especially in the area of international trade, while being praised as a successful example of regional integration.

Notes

The authors would like to acknowledge the continuous support of Sonia Lucarelli, who directed the project ‘The External Image of the EU’, conducted in the Framework of the Jointly Executed Research Project 5.2.1. (Normative issues) of the Network of Excellence ‘Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation: The Role of the EU’ (garnet). The authors also thank the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mae) for funding this research.

1 EU proposed Constitution, Art III-292, Title V.

2 K Smith, ‘The limits of proactive cosmopolitanism: the EU and Burma, Cuba and Zimbabwe’, in O Elgström & M Smith (eds), The European Union's Roles in International Politics: Concepts and Analysis, London: Routledge, 2006, pp 155 – 171. See also S Panebianco, ‘Promoting human rights and democracy in European Union relations with Russia and China’, in S Lucarelli & I Manners (eds), Values and Principles in European Union Foreign Policy, London: Routledge, 2006, pp 123 – 135.

3 I Manners, ‘Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms?’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 40 (2), 2002, pp 235 – 258. More recently, see Lucarelli & Manners, Values and Principles in European Union Foreign Policy. See also J Rifkin, ‘Thanks, Mr President: Bush's actions are helping Europe to fashion a new sense of identity,’Guardian, 26 April 2003, p 23.

4 The project was developed in the framework of the Jointly Integrated Research Project 5.2.1. (Normative issues) of the Network of Excellence, ‘Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation: the Role of the EU’ (garnet) and was co-ordinated by Sonia Lucarelli from October 2005 to December 2006. It was funded under the EU Sixth Framework Programme 2005 – 10 (Call Identifier: FP6-2002-Citizens-3) and supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

5 Primary data, speeches and excerpts discussed in this article are referenced in detail in the following publications: L Fioramonti & G Olivier, ‘Altruism or self-interest: an exploratory study of the EU's external image in South Africa’, European Foreign Affairs Review, 12 (3), 2007, pp 401 – 419; L Fioramonti, ‘Different facets of a strategic partnership: how the EU is viewed by political and business elites, civil society and the press in India’, European Foreign Affairs Review, 12 (3), 2007, pp 349 – 362; and A Poletti, ‘Country report on Brazil’, in Sonia Lucarelli (ed), Research Report: The External Image of the European Union, garnet Working Paper 17/7, 2007, at wi-garnet.uni-muenster.de/fileadmin/documents/working_papers/1707/1%20Survey%20Front%20Page-Content-Authors-Acknowledgments.pdf, accessed 20 October 2007.

6 Some limitations must be clarified from the outset. For instance, we found opinion polls presenting views on the EU only in Brazil and South Africa (there existed no data for India). Similarly the study of civil society in Brazil was hampered by the lack of available information, while the trade unions had to be excluded from the Indian case study because their publications and statements were not archived on their respective websites. Aside from these few differences, however, it was possible to gather all remaining information across the three countries.

7 RK Jain, speech given at the EU – India Think-Tank Seminar, Brussels, 15 – 16 October 2001.

8 The data on Brazil have been elaborated from the following sources: M Lagos (ed), La Unión Europea y su Posicionamiento Entre las Potencias Mundiales, Santiago de Chile: Focus Eurolatino, Corporació, Justica y Democracia, 2005.

9 ANC Today, 5 November 2004.

10 G Olivier, South Africa and the European Union—Ideology, Self-interest and Altruism, Pretoria: Protea Book House, 2006.

11 The speech is available at www.saag.org/%5Cpapers16%5Cpaper1536.html, accessed 20 October 2007.

12 The speech is available at www.twnside.org.sg/title2/twninfo323.htm, accessed 20 October 2007.

13 See L Fioramonti, ‘Country report on India’, in Lucarelli, Research Report: The External Image of the European Union.

14 See MF Biato, ‘Brazil: the EU—a rising global power?’, in M Ortega (ed), Global Views on the EU, Institute for Security Studies Chaillot Paper no 72, 2004, pp 43 – 54.

15 LI Lula da Silva, ‘Encerramento da IV Reunião Plenária do Fórum Empresarial Mercosul União Européia’, speech delivered at the Hotel Blue Tree, Brasília, 29 October 2003, at www.mre.gov.br, accessed 20 October 2007.

16 PR de Almeida, ‘Una política externa engajada: a diplomacia do governo Lula’, Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 47 (1), 2004, pp 163 – 184.

17 Partido dos Trabalhadores, ‘Mercadante: parceira do Mercosul com UE pode se conrapor aos EUA’, Noticias, 11 October 2001, at www.pt.org.br, accessed 20 October 2007.

18 A Klom, ‘Mercosur and Brazil: a European perspective’, International Affairs, 79 (2), 2003, pp 351 – 368; and I Maag, Brazil's Foreign Economic Policy: South – South, North – South or Both?, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Briefing Paper, March 2005, at http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/50086.pdf, accessed 20 October 2007.

19 L Fioramonti, ‘Country report on South Africa’, in Lucarelli, Research Report: The External Image of the European Union.

20 S Sengupta, ‘On India's despairing farms, a plague of suicide’, New York Times, 19 September 2006.

21 PM Kamath, ‘India is not interested in a US Europe’, Asian Times, 26 June 2006.

22 See Fioramonti & Olivier, ‘Altruism or self-interest’, p 417.

23 L Fioramonti & S Lucarelli, ‘How do the others see us?’, in F Cerutti & S Lucarelli (eds), The Search for a European Identity: Values, Policies and Legitimacy of the European Union, London: Routledge, forthcoming.

24 Lucarelli & Manners, Values and Principles in European Union Foreign Policy.