EU Diplomacy in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus: NORTIA residency by Dr Baltag at BSIS (University of Kent)

Submitted by Maastricht University on Sat, 09/01/2018 - 11:03

EU Diplomacy in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus after the inauguration of the EEAS

Dr Dorina Baltag (from Loughborough University and Maastricht University is visiting Brussels School of International Studies, BSIS at Kent University (Brussels campus) during her NORTIA Early-career Researcher Residency during autumn 2018. 

Dorina just few months ago sucessfully defended her thesis about European diplomacy in the EU´s neighbourhood.  The aim of her thesis was to critically assess the diplomatic performance of the EU in its neighbourhood, namely in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus after the inauguration of the EEAS. By employing performance criteria such as effectiveness, relevance and capability, this dissertation uncovered the particularities of the practices of European diplomatic cooperation among EU delegations and national embassies in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Drawing on fieldwork conducted from 2013-2016, the thesis explored practices of European cooperation abroad, showed how EU diplomatic actors identify a common approach and emphasized the capability issues faced by the EU member-state embassies and the EU delegations in these countries.

The NORTIA residency at the Brussels School of International Studies of the University of Kent presents itself as an opportunity to present the results of Dorina´s research and to develop further her research agenda on EU diplomacy. Given the fieldwork conducted in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus between 2013 and 2016, this research adds to the scarce literature on EU diplomacy in third countries more generally and specifically to the inexistent literature, so far, on the practice and performance of EU diplomacy in Eastern Europe. I believe that this type of academic research is also relevant for practitioner in Brussels. Dorina plans to organise, together with Dr. Tom Casier, a workshop on the following topic “EU Diplomacy in the ENP countries: performance, practices and impact” (tbc) that would give the opportunity to build bridges on this subject between researchers and EU practitioners.

To learn more about Dorina´s research see:

EU External Representation Post-Lisbon: The Performance of EU Diplomacy in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Special issue, vol. 13 (1), 75-96.

Assessing the performance of the European Union in Central and Eastern Europe and in its Neighbourhood, East European Politics, Special issue 1, Vol. 33, 1-16 [with D. Papadimitriou. and C. Surubaru]