Normative Power Europe - Nonsense? A Role Theoretical Approach to EU-Africa Relations

Abstract: The European Union is often characterised as a normative power; an actor that is driven by values and principles such as democracy, liberty, peace and the rule of law. This thesis investigates whether the European Union perceives itself as such through a qualitative case study of how the EU perceives its role in Africa. It utilises role theory – in the form of a typology of national role conceptions – and aims to challenge the conception of the European Union as a normative power by textual analysis of EU-documents that guide the common foreign- and security policy as well as conclusions from the Council of the European Union. It finds that characterising the European Union as a normative power in Africa is not nonsense, but that the union also perceives itself as a diplomatic power as well as a military power to some extent in Africa.