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Partners for the climate? How and why EU Delegations engage with civil society organisations in climate diplomacy

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Partners for the climate? How and why EU Delegations engage with civil society organisations in climate diplomacy
Authors: Franziska Petri, Francesca Colli
Source: Journal of European Integration. :1-22
Publisher Information: Informa UK Limited, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: REPRESENTATION, CHALLENGES, International Relations, Political Science, Social Sciences, DEMOCRACY, STATE, 1606 Political Science, EUROPEAN-UNION, 4407 Policy and administration, COMMON SECURITY, 4408 Political science, Government & Law, LEGITIMACY, civil society organisations, 3502 Banking, finance and investment, European Union, climate diplomacy, 1402 Applied Economics, EU Delegations
Description: European Union (EU) Delegations play an important role in implementing the EU’s climate diplomacy ambitions, representing the EU’s values and interests around the globe, and promoting ambitious climate action in bilateral relations. EU external action documents emphasise civil society organisations (CSOs) as key partners in climate diplomacy. Yet, little is known about how this plays out in practice, with no systematic investigations to date into EU Delegations’ (EUDs) interactions with CSOs in partner countries. This paper studies how and why EUDs interact with CSOs in climate diplomacy. We use a resource exchange framework to classify EUD-CSO interactions, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 66 EUDs. We find that EUDs interact with CSOs frequently through meetings, joint outreach activities, and material and non-material support. While EUDs’ motivations to work with CSOs vary, overall legitimacy reasons predominate over information needs.
Document Type: Article
Language: English
ISSN: 1477-2280
0703-6337
DOI: 10.1080/07036337.2025.2532423
Access URL: https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publications/83c3817a-31e3-43dc-8ad6-8c025d2109f2
https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2025.2532423
https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/20.500.12942/770694
https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2025.2532423
Rights: CC BY
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....b8de99bafcc4b39f5dc071eb34e7481b
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:European Union (EU) Delegations play an important role in implementing the EU’s climate diplomacy ambitions, representing the EU’s values and interests around the globe, and promoting ambitious climate action in bilateral relations. EU external action documents emphasise civil society organisations (CSOs) as key partners in climate diplomacy. Yet, little is known about how this plays out in practice, with no systematic investigations to date into EU Delegations’ (EUDs) interactions with CSOs in partner countries. This paper studies how and why EUDs interact with CSOs in climate diplomacy. We use a resource exchange framework to classify EUD-CSO interactions, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 66 EUDs. We find that EUDs interact with CSOs frequently through meetings, joint outreach activities, and material and non-material support. While EUDs’ motivations to work with CSOs vary, overall legitimacy reasons predominate over information needs.
ISSN:14772280
07036337
DOI:10.1080/07036337.2025.2532423