University of Limerick

The European Union at the United Nations

This thesis looks at EU internal decision-making processes within the UN system. It explores the inter institutional and the intra institutional clashes evident within the EU system of decision making in New York. Using theories derived from public policy it argues that although a public policy approach is one method of understanding the institutional structures of the EU at the UN it can be supplemented with the use of network analysis. Such approaches help explain change, by identifying, defining and measuring bureaucratic roles over time. Secondly, it captures the complexities of roles, positions and structures within the EU at the UN.