The European External Action Service – Towards a Single EU Voice?

In early 1990, the former Belgian Prime Minister Marc Eyskens metaphorically described the European Communities as „an economic giant, political dwarf and military worm”. However, the European Union’s economic power has the potential to influence the political behaviour of states and international organizations. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate in which degree the new institution formed through the Treaty of Lisbon – the European External Action Service, can contribute to the transformation of European Union’s economic power in political power, and to what extent it can lead to a real increase in efficiency and consistency when it comes to the Common Foreign and Security Policy.