Abstract

This thesis examines whether the EU´s development policy is conducted as a moral obligation in line with the EU´s self-portrayal as a force of good in international relations and/or whether interests drive the EU´s development policy.
The thesis’ method is to distinguish between acts that build on interests and acts that build on moral principles, by examining whether the EU is able to sustain the objectives of its development policy, even though the objectives become conflicting with other EU/national interests. The thesis examines this matter in practice by discussing whether the increased terror threat and the economic crisis have caused the EU to prioritize European/national interests higher than the objectives and values of its development policy. The thesis focuses on the EU´s objective of promoting trade and democracy in development countries.

The thesis tests whether the realist- and liberal IR perspective can help answer whether the EU´s development policy is driven by interests and tests whether Kant’s deontological theory of ethics can help answer whether the EU´s development policy is driven by moral principles.

The thesis concludes that EU communication as well as the content and structure of the EU´s development policy builds on liberal principles. The threat of terror and the economic crisis have however caused the EU to neglect its development objectives of promoting democracy and trade in development countries, which means that the EU hasn’t pursued long-turn security-enhancing policies - in a liberal perspective. There is greater evidence that suggests that the EU has adopted a realist stance by subordinating its normative objectives to its direct political or economic interests. There are however also cases which suggest that the EU has acted against its direct political- and economic interests. The EU and its member states have thus not consistently acted as rational self-interested actors in a realist perspective.

The EU and its member states choice to neglect their democracy- and trade objectives seems to be driven by a prioritizing of short term European/national interests, but it is however not possible, based on Kant’s concept of moral duties, to exclude the possibility that the EU could have acted in accordance with a moral duty or that the EU´s actions could reflect a moral conflict. The thesis’ method of distinguishing between acts that build on interests and acts that build on moral principles, by examining whether the EU is able to sustain the objectives of its development policy, even though the objectives become conflicting with other EU/national interests, thus turns out to be insufficient. The thesis can however conclude that part of the content and principles of the EU´s development policy violates Kant´s moral principles.