Our New Allies? The Perception of the New Member States of the EU by the Old Members
Our New Allies? The Perception of the New Member States of the EU by the Old Members

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the perception of the new Member States of the EU (the 2004 and 2007 entrants) held by diplomats from permanent representations of the old Member States in Brussels. The contention is that being aware of the perceptions within the EU decision-making process can foster our understanding of the mechanism, since the way in which representatives of individual Member States view other members impacts cooperation at EU level. To study these perceptions, the paper employs image theory, a foreign policy analysis approach, and asks what sort of image diplomats from the old Member States ascribe to the newcomers. The paper is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with representatives of old Member States at their permanent representations. It analyzes the three dimensions that make up the image (relative power, compatibility of goals and cultural distance) and concludes that the prevailing image is that of an ally. But the newcomers are not seen as a unitary group and there are fine-grained differences along each of the dimensions. Future research should therefore focus on amending image theory in order to shed more light on subtle differences in the mutual perceptions of EU Member States.

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