Podcast/ The EU and intra-EU contestation: how to navigate and circumvent the negative effect of internal contestation on EUFSP

This new episode of the JOINT podcast explores the the hampering effect of intra-EU contestation on the EU’s ability to respond effectively to international conflicts and crisis.

Moderated by Sarah van Bentum (Research Fellow at Freie Universität Berlin and Scholar-in-Residence at the German Federal Foreign Office), Pol Bargués (Senior Research Fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs – CIDOB), Sinem Akgül-Açıkmeşe (Professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University and Research Director at the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies – EDAM) and Elsa Lilja Gunnarsdottir (Junior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs – NUPI) analyse what constitutes the core of contestation, how we understand intra-EU in the research of the JOINT project and how it interplays with the two other contextual factors – regional fragmentation and multipolar competition.

Focusing on three case studies from Kosovo-Serbia, Israel-Palestine and Venezuela, our experts discuss the impact of intra-EU contestation on which level contestation appears most frequently and the EU responded to the three very different conflict scenarios. The conversation further explores possibilities to mitigate the often negative impact of intra-EU contestation and presents strategies that EU policymakers can take to strengthen coherence of their foreign and security policies. Join us as we delve into exploring the role of intra-EU contestation and discuss potential solutions for a more effective EU foreign and security policy.