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Cooper, Richard N. --- "China–EU and the Challenge of Global Climate Change and Energy" [2012] ELECD 919; in Wouters, Jan; de Wilde, Tanguy; Defraigne, Pierre; Defraigne, Jean-Christophe (eds), "China, the European Union and Global Governance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: China, the European Union and Global Governance

Editor(s): Wouters, Jan; de Wilde, Tanguy; Defraigne, Pierre; Defraigne, Jean-Christophe

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781004265

Section: Chapter 12

Section Title: China–EU and the Challenge of Global Climate Change and Energy

Author(s): Cooper, Richard N.

Number of pages: 4

Extract:

12. China­EU and the challenge of
global climate change and energy
Richard N. Cooper

We still live in a world in which national states are the key decision-makers
on domestic and international issues. This is likely to remain the case for at
least the next twenty years. Even though Europe's experiments in
genuinely supranational decision-making, albeit through a painfully slow
process, have resulted in notable successes, there is little reason why
decision-making should be raised to higher governmental levels without a
compelling reason to do so. Following the principle of subsidiarity, there is
little reason for international governance unless a strong affirmative case
can be made on the basis of greater effectiveness, cost efficiency and/or
removing harmful deadlocks at national level. Where such a case can be
made, then, each problem should be addressed on its merits, which
typically will involve far fewer countries than the entire international
community of over 200 states. And the appropriate grouping of relevant
states will undoubtedly vary from issue to issue.
Given that each state has a single vote and most resolutions of the UN
General Assembly and its various subsidiaries are passed by a simple
majority, the formal UN system is `democratic' at the state level in all
issues except security. But with the arguable exception of the Law of the
Sea treaty, this system has ensured deadlock on most issues of practical
importance. Calls for greater `democratisation' of the international system
should therefore be better defined ...