Normative Power Europe and the Power of the Local

In this article, the unfolding events surrounding the publication of the EU Guidelines prohibiting the allocation of funds to Israeli entities in the Occupied Territories are used to offer three observations about the impact of 'the local' on 'Normative Power Europe' (NPE). First, the case study reveals the growing influence of the power of 'the European local' on the decision of whether or not to deploy normative power. Second, it underscores the fact that local power relations in the target country often determine the reaction to NPE, while the reaction often produces the visibility of the normative edicts and thus helps empower NPE. And third, NPE's visibility has an impact on the EU's self-identification, but not necessarily on the policies it criticizes. These observations underscore the importance of analyzing the various levels of 'the local' and their relation to NPE in order to understand the latter's political impact.