Introduction: change in the international system, adversity for the European Union

In the current context of change within the international system, this introductory article constructs an analytical framework with which to operationalize the change in the power structure (a typology of international structures and their combinations) and to study how the EU behaves when faced with the adverse conditions that change introduces, by looking at its actions within multilateral institutions (strategies of accommodation and entrenchment). Using this framework as a foundation, the author presents the six articles in the monograph, which reflect on the EU’s reaction in distinct multilateral institutions that operate in a variety of fields (economy, environment, energy and security), understanding the institutions in a broad sense (as sustained, connected sets of rules).

Key words: EU, international system, multilateralism, power structure

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