Contribution by Ana Bojinović Fenko and Julija Brsakoska Bazerkoska in the journal "Athena: Critical Inquiries in Law, Philosophy and Globalization"

Ana Bojinović Fenko and Julija Brsakoska Bazerkoska (Faculty of Law, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje) published an article titled "European Union’s Actorness Amid the Weakening Liberal International Order in the Fields of Trade, Digital Sovereignty and Conflict Resolution" in the journal "Athena: Critical Inquiries in Law, Philosophy and Globalization".

The article analyses the high tension between liberal values and pragmatic competitiveness or geopolitical interests that the European Union faces in its pursuit of autonomous international action across three areas: trade, digital sovereignty, and conflict resolution. Results show that when this tension is lower, especially when the EU is able to speak with one voice, as seen in trade and in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the EU’s international presence and recognition are greater. Conversely, reconciling trade competition, digital innovation, and security demands with democracy, multilateralism, and respect for international law remains a major challenge, particularly when the EU’s capability is internally inconsistent.