The objective of this study is to put EU external policies in the context of international or transnational public services, as providers of global public goods, linking up to global governance architectures and agendas. While the choice of whether and how the EU foreign affairs administration may be able to take on such a role, and what exactly this role should comprise, is not entirely up to the Union itself, there are several narratives as to the kind of the EU’s role in the world (and thus its place and function in such global governance structures), which are simultaneously (and often in contradiction to each other) discussed and echoed in diverse scholarly and policy-oriented forums. The set of questions, this research addresses, are: What do different role expectations towards EU foreign, security, trade, neighbourhood, development and humanitarian policies involve? In which points do they coincide/converge/diverge? To what extent and under what conditions is it possible to combine such role expectations? The paper adapts insights from organization theory and public administration scholarship to the sub-discipline of international politics, with a particular focus on the EU external action and international cooperation. Empirically the main source of information is document review and gathering first-hand experience and opinions from policy-makers at the EU and national levels, notably from the EEAS, national diplomats and cooperation agencies.
