Európska integrácia a bilaterálna diplomacia vo vzťahoch medzi krajinami EÚ: koniec zastupiteľských úradov?
European Integration and Bilateral Diplomacy Within Relationship Among States of the EU: end of embassies?

Summary/Abstract: The integration process in the European Union (EU) has dramatically changed also the diplomatic system. In this connection, the relevance of the traditional bilateral diplomacy has been questioned by some observers. In this article, author analysis the present functions of bilateral embassies, which traditionally represent the characteristic institutions of bilateral diplomacy. In order to demonstrate the importance of bilateral missions, he lists the practical functions of embassies, which cannot be effi ciently exercised by any other organs or institutions. The most important of them are: representation, public diplomacy, the consular functions, pre-negotiation of issues, protocol, political analysis and information service, networking and economic and cultural diplomacy issues. In conclusion, the author stresses, the bilateral diplomacy is not superfl uous in the contemporary EU and it still belongs to the fundamental diplomatic methods.

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