This work investigates how the European Union Diplomatic Service, specifically the European External Action Service, constructs its institutional identity and shapes its diplomatic preferences. Caterina Carta, a scholar of European integration, utilizes a constructivist framework to analyze the internal dynamics of the service. By examining the interplay between organizational culture and policy output, the author argues that the service is not merely a technical body but a social actor defined by evolving norms and shared professional identities.

Experts in European studies identify this text as a rigorous examination of the internal mechanisms governing EU foreign policy. Scholars frequently cite the book for its detailed application of sociological institutionalism to the study of supranational diplomatic bodies.