Borders in embassy networks : how diplomacy contribute to a new regionalisation of Europe

Borders in embassy networks : how diplomacy contribute to a new

regionalisation of Europe

4th EUGEO Congress, Rome, 6 September 2013

Antoine Laporte

Assistant professorEcole Normale Supérieure de Lyon – University of LyonResearch Unit – EVS 5600 (Environnement, Ville, Société)

- This work takes part of an ESPON Program called ITAN for « Integrated Territorial Analysis of the Neighbourhood »

- http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Projects/Menu_AppliedResearch/itan.html

- Question on the integration of European Union’s neighbour countries

Methodology- In the ESPON ITAN Project

- 43 capital cities / countries investigated - 28 EU member states- 3 ESPON member states not-included in EU (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland)- 6 Balkan countries- 6 East and South-East EU neighbouring countries

Number of embassies of each states among the 43 countries investigated

In the 43 countries investigated, the country has

More than 40 embassies

From 30 to 39 embassies




Less than 5 embassies

no diplomatic relations

diplomatic relations

Countries with which Iceland has :

diplomatic relations and a resident embassy

Countries with which Iceland has :

Link to the resident embassy

Resident embassies and non-resident embassies

C. A

ubru

n

C. A

ubru

n

and

Hypothesis- Where do the different countries in the world locate their embassies in

Europe ? To which embassies are linked the countries that do not house resident embassies ?

1) Hypothesis 1 : Distance principle

Are these links directed to capital cities located in neighbour countries? Or at least not too far?

2) Hypothesis 2 : Border principle

Do these links cross more borders between countries which are EU or Schengen members?

3) Hypothesis 3 : Region principle

Do these links create new European sub-regions, with weak borders inside and bigger outside?

Dependency to neighbour countries

Intensity of flows to neighbour country

Mean : 63,7 %

Less than 10% of …

From 10 to 30% of …




More than 90% of …

Less than 5 non-resident embassies

…the non-resident embassies are linked to an embassy located in a neighbour country

Hypothesis 1

Distance to resident embassies

More than 1000 km

From 700 to 1000 km

From 400 to 700 km

Less than 400 km

Distance between the non-resident embassy in the capital city investigated and its corresponding embassy


Hypothesis 1

69 %

42 %

41,9 %

64,9 %

42,5 %

73,5 %

74,2 %54,1 %

Western countries Eastern countries

EU members Non-EU members

45,4 % 33,1 %

500 km

1000 km

54,1 %

(Cold War definition)

Percentage of correspondingresident embassies within :

Hypothesis 1

Crossing EU borders








…the links cross the EU border

Hypothesis 2

Crossing Schengen borders








…the links cross the Schengen area border

Hypothesis 2

Crossing the former Iron Curtain








…the links cross the former border between East and West

Hypothesis 2

Europe’s diplomacy regionalizationThe countries are linked, if a country is dependant for at least 20% of its non-resident embassies to another country

Hypothesis 3

Europe’s diplomacy regionalization

Group of countries with strong links* totally independant group

no strong link

Brussels, London and Paris group

Stockholm group

Berlin and Vienna group

Rome group

Bucharest and Kiev group*

Belgrade group*

Sofia group*

Ankara and Moscow group*

Hypothesis 3

Europe’s diplomacy regionalization

A country is linked to another if it is the main destination of its non-resident embassies

Hypothesis 3

no main link directed tothis country

London group

Stockholm group

Berlin and Vienna group

Rome group

Moscow group*

Paris group

Main links* totally independant group

Europe’s diplomacy regionalizationHypothesis 3

Concluding remarks

- Borders are crossed a lot, but not always on the line form

- No higher discrepancy where the national borders are also EU or Schengen borders. Dependency relations with a smooth structure from West to East

- Very strong integration for Switzerland, Norway and Iceland

- Strong integration of the Balkan periphery

- Diplomatic independance for Turkey, the Ukraine and Russia

Thank you for your attention !

Diplomatic relations in EU+3 + Balkan and BSNC

USA, Japan 43Bulgaria, China,

Czech Rep., France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy,

Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Romania,

Russia

42

Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Latvia,

Mexico, Netherlands,

Pakistan, Poland, United Kingdom

41

… …South Sudan, 3

Micronesia, Tuvalu 2Marshall Islands,

Kiribati, Nauru 1

Country Number of resident embassies in EU+3 + Balkan and BSNC

USA 43

China, France, Germany, Russia

42

Italy, United Kingdom 41

Greece, Poland 40

Austria, Czech Republic, Turkey

39

… …

Antigua and Barbuda and 11 other countries

3

Comores and 6 other countries

2

Kiribati and 4 other countries

1

BSNC : Black Sea Neighbouring Countries

Crossing the former Iron Curtain

Links to

Neighbour country

All 63,7

West 72,3

East 62,4

EU Member 69,2

Not EU Member 48,7

Links from

Links from & to

Borders in embassy networks : how diplomacy contribute to a new regionalisation of Europe

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