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Europeanisation of Foreign Policy: A Comparative Case Study of Cyprus’s and Spain’s Engagement with Kosovo

Wieck, Franziska LU (2026) STVM23 20261
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
Although Cyprus and Spain initially emerged as the strongest opponents of engaging with Kosovo, driven by fears over the implications for their independence movements, their practices have since unexpectedly diverged. Therefore, the following research question is posed: What factors explain the differences in Cyprus's and Spain's engagement with Kosovo since its declaration of independence in 2008? While both Cyprus’s and Spain’s relations with Kosovo have been studied, prior research has paid less attention to the dynamics that shaped their decision-making and to engagement practices in isolation from recognition. Building on Europeanisation theory, this thesis conducts a comparative case study to evaluate how domestic
political factors,... (More)
Although Cyprus and Spain initially emerged as the strongest opponents of engaging with Kosovo, driven by fears over the implications for their independence movements, their practices have since unexpectedly diverged. Therefore, the following research question is posed: What factors explain the differences in Cyprus's and Spain's engagement with Kosovo since its declaration of independence in 2008? While both Cyprus’s and Spain’s relations with Kosovo have been studied, prior research has paid less attention to the dynamics that shaped their decision-making and to engagement practices in isolation from recognition. Building on Europeanisation theory, this thesis conducts a comparative case study to evaluate how domestic
political factors, i.e. the state of the separatist conflict, the ideology of political leadership, and the government's reform capacity, shaped Cyprus’s and Spain’s engagement with Kosovo. The thesis finds that in the case of Cyprus, self-initiated rapprochement can be linked to the ideology of the political leadership. In the case of Spain, the timing of challenges to the EU’s engagement with Kosovo can be linked to the period of heightened conflict with Catalonia. With a view to
Kosovo's future, the case studies demonstrate that engagement is possible even for the strongest non-recognisers and that the EU has largely succeeded in pushing the boundaries of possible engagement strategies with Kosovo. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wieck, Franziska LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Europeanisation, EU foreign policy, Kosovo, engagement without recognition
language
English
id
9227383
date added to LUP
2026-06-16 14:52:45
date last changed
2026-06-16 14:52:45
@misc{9227383,
  abstract     = {{Although Cyprus and Spain initially emerged as the strongest opponents of engaging with Kosovo, driven by fears over the implications for their independence movements, their practices have since unexpectedly diverged. Therefore, the following research question is posed: What factors explain the differences in Cyprus's and Spain's engagement with Kosovo since its declaration of independence in 2008? While both Cyprus’s and Spain’s relations with Kosovo have been studied, prior research has paid less attention to the dynamics that shaped their decision-making and to engagement practices in isolation from recognition. Building on Europeanisation theory, this thesis conducts a comparative case study to evaluate how domestic
political factors, i.e. the state of the separatist conflict, the ideology of political leadership, and the government's reform capacity, shaped Cyprus’s and Spain’s engagement with Kosovo. The thesis finds that in the case of Cyprus, self-initiated rapprochement can be linked to the ideology of the political leadership. In the case of Spain, the timing of challenges to the EU’s engagement with Kosovo can be linked to the period of heightened conflict with Catalonia. With a view to
Kosovo's future, the case studies demonstrate that engagement is possible even for the strongest non-recognisers and that the EU has largely succeeded in pushing the boundaries of possible engagement strategies with Kosovo.}},
  author       = {{Wieck, Franziska}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Europeanisation of Foreign Policy: A Comparative Case Study of Cyprus’s and Spain’s Engagement with Kosovo}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}