The European Union in global climate governance: A "Critical" role for the climate negotiations

This thesis aims to examine global climate governance and the role of the European Union (EU) throughout the Conference of Parties (COP) negotiations as the main supreme body of the United Nations Convention Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This thesis considers analytical frames introduced in the literature, such as the "norm life cycle" and reinterprets the EU's role in climate politics within the scope of constructivist arguments. The findings reveal that the EU's role in global climate governance is related to a normative framework based on its claim of a "leading by example" role given its productive policies and consistent position addressing the significance of climate change during the COP negotiations. The EU's official discourse is traced during the selected COP negotiations that demonstrate its pledges and commitments reinforcing the legitimacy of the climate regime. These findings highlight the importance of legitimacy and authority in advancing climate governance and in the EU's role in the process.