Coherent Actor or Institution Wrangler? The European Union as a Development and Security Actor in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Although it is widely recognized that the European Union plays an important role in global politics, it is still controversial what kind of international actor the European Union is. Following actorness theory, questions of actor capability take center stage, challenging the union’s ability to identify priorities and formulate policies as well as its availability of and capacity to utilize policy instruments. Therefore, the study at hand analyzes how coherent (or incoherent) the Union is in terms of its policy formulation and implementation regarding development and security policies developed in Brussels and targeted at the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The empirical findings of research conducted in Brussels, eastern Congo, and Rwanda reveal several patterns of insufficient coordination, causing incoherencies in the external policies of the Union. Profound institutional divisions, overlapping competencies, and neglected discrepancies become apparent. Thus, the research identifies several shortcomings that must be overcome if the Union wants to meet its own ambitions to be a coherent and influential actor in global peace and security.