Don’t Mess with the Missionary Man! On the Principle of Coherence, the Missionary Principle and the European Union’s Development Policy

Abstract

With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the focus upon coherence between the different Union policies has increased considerably, as reflected in a number of provisions in the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty has also introduced, as a general obligation, that the European Union shall further so-called European values beyond its borders. An important consequence of these two changes is that, read in conjunction, they will obligate the European Union to further European values through its development cooperation policy to a higher degree than it does today. This chapter first outlines the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty with regard to the coherence obligation and the obligation to further European values (sometimes referred to as the Principle of Coherence and the Missionary Principle). Thereupon the chapter identifies the likely effects which the combination of these two principles will have on the European Union’s development cooperation policy. Finally, the chapter takes a broader perspective to the matter in order to point to some problems that are likely to arise from these presumed effects.

Professor Morten P. Broberg—Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. This chapter was first presented as a paper at the conference EU External Relations Law and Policy in the post-Lisbon Era held at the University of Sheffield in January 2011. The author gratefully acknowledges the extensive suggestions for changes he received from Paul James Cardwell as well as the comments he received from Simon Bulmer, who acted as discussant, and the other participants at the conference.