Fire in the Neighbourhood: An Actorness Perspective on the EU’s Sanctions Practice in Cases of Contested Statehood

This paper aims to clarify whether and to what extent the EU’s recent sanctions activity in its neighbourhood forms an illustration of actorness. Recent turmoil in the EU’s neighbourhood, both in the South (Tunisia, Egypt and Syria) and in the East (Ukraine) has resulted in complex situations of contested statehood and a rather large number of EU sanctions. In the South, the EU has imposed financial sanctions in the form of asset freezes against the regimes of both Ben Ali and Mubarak as well as a remarkably large number of measures against the regime of Al-Assad, including an arms embargo, financial restrictions, travel sanctions and commodity sanctions. In the East, the EU has imposed restrictive measures against Russia for its alleged role in the conflict in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine and against individual actors of the self-proclaimed independent Republic Crimea. These measures include an arms embargo, financial sanctions, commodity sanctions, travel restrictions and diplomatic sanctions. This increased activity raises the question whether the EU can still be described as a “regionally conscious security actor” (Portela, 2006: 14) when it comes to imposing sanctions measures. This paper answers this question by analysing the EU’s recent sanctions activity in the cases mentioned above from the perspective of actorness, which has become one of the most prominent conceptual lenses for studying European foreign policy. Browsing the literature shows, however, that constant use does not necessarily imply consistent, coherent or even relevant use (Drieskens & Reykers, 2015). A cottage industry approach has resulted in a proliferation, even overgrowth, of operationalizations. Building upon a literature review and expert interviews, this paper presents a step in the direction of resolving the status quo through both its focus and approach.