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Duke, Simon --- "Consistency, coherence and European Union external action: the path to Lisbon and beyond" [2011] ELECD 220; in Koutrakos, Panos (ed), "European Foreign Policy" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: European Foreign Policy

Editor(s): Koutrakos, Panos

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849804097

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Consistency, coherence and European Union external action: the path to Lisbon and beyond

Author(s): Duke, Simon

Number of pages: 40

Extract:

1. Consistency, coherence and European
Union external action: the path to
Lisbon and beyond
Simon Duke

INTRODUCTION
The idea of coherence in the EU's external relations is one referred to
frequently by both political scientists and legal scholars although, all too often,
other associated terms such as `consistency', and even `cooperation' are also
in common usage.1 The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of coher-
ence from a predominantly political science perspective. In the spirit of the
interdisciplinary workshop that sparked this volume, this author does not
believe that the issues surrounding coherence can be explained by a solely
legalistic approach or only a political science grounded analysis, but an admix-
ture of these and other approaches.2 A legal approach will often lead to differ-
ent, but not necessarily tangential recommendations from those who approach
the issues from a political science angle. In the case of the former, it may well
result in the advocacy of the need for some form of binding coherence require-
ments, while in the latter case it is more likely to result in more attention being
paid to institutions, processes and decision-making procedures to address
perceived incoherence.3 As adroitly observed by Clara Portela and Kolja
Raube, `coherence emerges thus as a principle understood as a legal proce-
dural obligation to be followed by political action'.4

1 The word consistency is, however, preferred since in the English language
versions of the treaties reference is more often than ...


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