An informal mode for multilateral cooperation: assessing the European Union’s engagements with informal intergovernmental organisations (IIGOs)

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Parlar Dal E., Matsumoto N. M.

Third World Quarterly, vol.46, no.15, pp.1898-1918, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 46 Issue: 15
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/01436597.2025.2516049
  • Journal Name: Third World Quarterly
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, American History and Life, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.1898-1918
  • Keywords: EU, global governance, informal governance, informal intergovernmental organisations (IIGOs), multilateralism
  • Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
  • Marmara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This paper delves into the assessment of the European Union (EU)’s engagements with Informal Intergovernmental Organisations (hereafter IIGOs) and of the character of EU-IIGOs interactions. In pursuit of this objective, it initially elucidates the concept of informality as perceived by the EU and delineates how its approach to IIGOs in the realm of global governance contributes to its global and normative influence. Subsequently, it delves into an examination of the EU’s Code of Conduct for Engagement with IIGOs. Here we use a four-layered framework composed of 4 layers derived from Westerwinter, Abbott, and Biersteker’s typology, namely involvement, cooperation, comprehension and non-engagement to assess the EU’s interactions with IIGOs in specific and regional issue areas. Lastly, the paper focuses on the EU’s interactions with 92 ongoing pure IIGOs as listed in Vabulas & Snidal’s IIGO dataset 2.0. and tries to understand the level of engagement of the EU with IIGOs under the above-mentioned four layers.