Liberal Intergovernmentalism Under Revision: The EEAS and the Creation of a Supra-state Diplomatic Body

Abstract

Why do member states agree to create supra-state institutions? Do institutional frameworks affect outcomes? This study employs theory-testing process tracing to contribute to liberal intergovernmentalism (LI) by examining the configuration process of the European External Action Service (EEAS), negotiated within two innovative institutional settings: the Convention and the Quadrilogue. The study concludes that LI needs to be nuanced, as institutional settings are crucial in building suprastate institutions by shaping actors' behaviour through available choices and conclusions. The bargaining was suprastate rather than intergovernmental. Preference formation was domestic but not liberal, as no interest group, other than the diplomatic corps, was involved. The EEAS was agreed upon as a package deal based on benefits to member states and EU institutional actors, along with control mechanisms. Evidence comes from 60 in-depth elite interviews with EU officials and member state representatives directly involved in the negotiations.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Brill in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy on September 2024, available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191x-bja10196