The EU's efforts to uphold the international rules-based order: Mission impossible?

Abstract

It is commonplace today to state that the international rules-based order is in decline, or at least severely under threat. The European Union has been a steadfast self-proclaimed defender of such order, with a strong commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations, and international law based on its founding treaties. This contribution asks how deep and consistent the EU's choice for multilateralism is and how the Union is coping with the challenges to the international rules-based order. It briefly inquires through what instruments, mechanisms, and tools the EU aims to live up to its commitment to multilateralism and to what extent the Union itself consistently respects international law. It ends with the question of how the EU can reinforce its multilateral commitment to the international rules-based order, in particular through the UN.