TRends In Global Governance and Europe’s Role (TRIGGER)
European Commission (Horizon2020)
The European Union is a multi-dimensional, constantly changing player in global governance. Depending on the policy area, the EU has different levels of “actorness” and “powers”. The EU evolves by featuring different multi-level governance arrangements in different sectors and policy areas: In some cases, it speaks with one voice (e.g. energy regulation; data protection: e-communications regulation). In other circumstances, it joins global governance dialogues as an internally fragmented bloc (e.g. defence and security policy until recently). Likewise, in some cases it is able to negotiate as one single actor (e.g. climate), in other settings it appears as a weak observer, subordinated to the power and legitimacy of some of its most powerful Member States (e.g. United Nations). Most recently, the new EU Global Strategy has sought to strengthen the EU’s role even further by offering a coherent framework for advancing the EU’s agenda on several fronts, from security to climate and sustainability diplomacy.
Against this background, the TRIGGER project has the objective to provide EU institutions with knowledge and tools to enhance their actorness, effectiveness and influence in global governance.
To achieve this goal, it is the aim to develop new ways to harness the potential of public engagement and participatory foresight in complex governance decisions, thereby also tackling emerging trends such as nationalism, regionalism and protectionism. For this purpose, TRIGGER will create several tools such as the Atlas of Global Governance REGulation and Europe’s AcTORness (AGGREGATOR) modelling actorness and effectiveness and compiling an overview on recent global trends and trends in global governance, and Co-Creating the European Union (COCTEAU), which will contain new techniques such as AI-enabled sentiment analysis and innovative public engagement methods. In four “Deep Dives”, the project will explore the current state of EU actorness in the respective field, how it has evolved over time and how the EU may enhance its influence in these areas in the future using foresight methods.
All findings from the project will eventually be combined and merged in a toolkit, which will be dedicated to Public Engagement for Responsive and Shared EU Strategies (PERSEUS).