MERCURY – Multilateralism and the European Union in the contemporary global order

MERCURY was a three-year research project coordinated by the University of Edimburgh. It analysed the various forms of multilateralism worldwide adopting a definition of multilateralism that takes into account not only institutional, but also normative and procedural aspects. The project also aimed to assess the European Union’s contribution to “effective multilateralism” through its strategies and policies towards regional players, strategic partners and international organizations.

Within the framework of MERCURY, IAI leads Work Package IV (Organised Multilateralism: The EU as an Actor in Multilateral Fora) and took part in Work Package III (Multilateralism in Practice: key regions and partners). Nathalie Tocci was a member of the project’s steering group. The final conference of the project was held in Pretoria on April 2012. The main research contributions developed in the framework of the project have been collected in a volume that has been published by Routledge in August 2013.