Conference Paper

Striking a balance between the political authority of the EU member states and the competences of an enlarged ‘post-national’ European Union (EU), the Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) has emphasized both aspects. On the one hand, it introduces a number of flexible institutional mechanisms to allow for more effectively integrated internal and external policies. On the other hand, as its conclusion states, it represents a manifestation of the sovereign will of EU members, freely expressed, and thus satisfies the desire for sovereignty of the member states (Wessels and Bopp 2008). Drawing on this assumption, this paper explores the linkages between the issue of (post) national sovereignty and the prospects for the effectiveness of the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) after the ToL. In this context, I argue that in understanding the sovereignty balance (or rather the tension) within the legal and political structure of the EU, we can make plausible predictions as to the future of its foreign policy.