Ukraine: definitely a European business!

As long as the Union’s international role is solely assessed in terms of its capacity to act as a unitary actor, usual frustrations are confirmed – see the time necessary to issue sanctions against those who ordered to use violence against the population. On the other hand, though, the EU has also been pragmatically developing an approach that is “comprehensive” not only in terms of the diverse kinds of means it entails (diplomacy, trade policy), but also of its multi-level structure, which requires the co-operation of national diplomacies, intergovernmental co-ordination mechanisms and supranational means. The article attempts to address the actual and potential role of the EU in the Ukrainian crisis in light of this double analytical approach.