This article examines the EU's participation in multilateral institutions on the example of the UN Arms Trade Treaty. The central question of the study is to what extent and under what conditions the EU can be seen as an effective actor in multilateral security negotiations. It is argued that overall the EU was an effective player during the multilateral negotiations on the ATT, but the degree of its effectiveness varies along different dimensions. The EU was rather successful in the achievement of its goals and in maintaining external cohesion, but it scored relatively low in its efforts to commit the key stakeholders to sign up to the ATT. The EU's internal export control policy, together with the high level of institutional co‐ordination and Member States' interest convergence, facilitated the EU's effectiveness in the ATT negotiations, whereas the international context proved to be the major constraining factor.

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An accelerated path of climate change has tremendously increased the Arctic's profile over the last decade. Formerly remote and of little relevance, the region now attracts significant political and economic interest as melting ice opens possibilities for the exploitation of Arctic natural resources and access to new trade routes. Rising temperatures and sea level as a result of retreating snow and ice coverage also provoke global security concerns. Consequently, interested states increasingly link the Arctic more closely to their security and foreign policy strategies. In addition, existing territorial disputes combined with unsettled patterns of governance and actor constellations trigger regional developments with important implications for international legal and political systems.As developments in the Arctic region project themselves globally, they will necessarily have certain repercussions for European countries and their citizens. It is reported that about half of the fish caught in polar waters are consumed in the European Union. 1 One quarter of the oil and gas extracted Steffen Weber is the secretary general of the EU Arctic Forum in Brussels. IulianRomanyshyn is a researcher with the EU Arctic Forum.