Navigating Foreign Policy Harmonization: CFSP Alignment in EU Accession and EFTA Countries

This paper examines how EU candidate and partner countries strategically navigate pressures to align with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), treating alignment not as passive rule-following but as a form of foreign policy choice under asymmetric interdependence. Combining thematic analysis of all Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) statements from 2005–2024 with original alignment data for candidates, selected Eastern Partnership and EFTA states, as well as semi-structured interviews with EU and national officials, the study traces variation in both overall alignment and issue-specific behavior, especially on sanctions and high-salience geopolitical topics. It develops an empirically grounded typology of alignment strategies—ranging from near-total delegation of foreign policy to highly selective or resistant approaches—showing how capacity, accession prospects, domestic politics, and the availability of alternative external patrons jointly shape states’ choices over time. The findings demonstrate that increased EU demands and the growing centrality of sanctions have sharpened the trade-offs faced by third countries, and that even highly aligned states retain pockets of autonomy on issues crucial to domestic legitimacy or alternative geopolitical alignments.