MEDIATING CONFLICTS IN EUROPE AND BEYOND: THE ROLE OF THE EU

Abstract

Even though the European Union (EU) can be described as a "peacemaker in the international arena," there is still work to be done in the field of meditation. Consequently, this study investigates the EU's function as a mediator and explores whether the EU is more proactive in mediating conflicts within its region versus internationally. The explanation of the concept of mediation and the EU's effectiveness indicators comprises the theoretical framework that defines mediation as a field and explains the EU's role and the specification of the indicators throughout the literature and institutional data. To empirically calculate and compare the efficacy of regional and international conflicts, qualitative and quantitative case studies and literature studies are conducted. The qualitative research consists of finding and analysing all the conflicts in which the EU has participated as a mediator between 1990 and 2020, while the quantitative analysis compares the success rates in terms of percentages. The thesis points out that the EU is more proactive in mediating conflicts within the European Region than internationally, thereby defining the EU as a regional organisation as opposed to an international organisation in the field of mediation. It highlights the dearth of literature and emphasises meditation. Due to a lack of internal consensus and the difficulty of gaining the trust of all parties, it is challenging for the EU to increase its global influence in mediation.