Since publication of the EU’s Security Strategy in 2003, ‘effective multilateralism’ has been one of the key ambitions of the European Union’s external activities. Multilateralism encourages development of common rules, expectations and behaviours, which can all contribute to enabling a stable international environment. However, challenges to the system are apparent, notably the failure of multilateral institutions to achieve their aims, as well as the rise of competing and contesting visions of world order. One key question is how the EU, itself not a state, can play a role in the promotion and development of the multilateral world order. This roundtable will address some key questions about the EU’s role in multilateral institutions, focusing on legal and diplomatic positions, and discussing the role of the EU in multilateral economic organisations. Specifically, the panel will address the following questions: What are the specific challenges that the EU faces in acting in multilateral institutions? How does it work to improve the output (not necessarily just efficiency) of the multilateral organisations in which it works?Jonas Jonsson, Head of Division for the Multilateral Relations Division at the European External Action ServiceStephan Marquardt, Deputy Head of the Legal Affairs Division of the European External Action ServiceDirk Verbeken, Senior Economist and Research administrator at the Secretariat of the European Parliament