Norm contestation in EU foreign policy: understanding the effects of opposition and dissidence

Abstract

The EU is as a liberal normative community, where liberal norms play a central role. While contestation is considered essential within a normative community to establish the legitimacy of norms, within the EU, contestation can also challenge the validity of its foundational norms. This raises the question of how this type of contestation affects EU foreign policy. This study examines two radical forms of contestation: opposition and dissidence. Through the analysis of two case studies, namely the Global Compact for Migration and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, it becomes evident that the EU’s foreign policy system can sustain opposition, but dissidence has the potential to challenge or undermine those norms.