Abstract:
Even though the European Union (EU) can be described as a "peacemaker in the
international arena," there is still work to be done in the field of meditation. Consequently,
this study investigates the EU's function as a mediator and explores whether the EU is more
proactive in mediating conflicts within its region versus internationally. The explanation of
the concept of mediation and the EU's effectiveness indicators comprises the theoretical
framework that defines mediation as a field and explains the EU's role and the specification
of the indicators throughout the literature and institutional data. To empirically calculate and
compare the efficacy of regional and international conflicts, qualitative and quantitative case
studies and literature studies are conducted. The qualitative research consists of finding and
analysing all the conflicts in which the EU has participated as a mediator between 1990 and
2020, while the quantitative analysis compares the success rates in terms of percentages. The
thesis points out that the EU is more proactive in mediating conflicts within the European
Region than internationally, thereby defining the EU as a regional organisation as opposed
to an international organisation in the field of mediation. It highlights the dearth of literature
and emphasises meditation. Due to a lack of internal consensus and the difficulty of gaining
the trust of all parties, it is challenging for the EU to increase its global influence in
mediation.
