During the 1990s there was a heavy discussion about what would come next after the end of the bipolar world order. At the time the role of the European Union EU in the new world order came to the agenda concerning how it would define its international role in the new circumstances. However, the conflicts taking place in ex-Yugoslavian territories challenged EU policies in many ways. The war on Iraq created a rift among the EU member states. This paper will deal with the issue of what kind of a role the EU plays in the present global world order. This study argues that the EU began to enjoy more self-confidence because of its increasing political integration since the early 1990s. It is argued that Washington’s naming of old and new Europe before the invasion of Iraq was an indication of the increasing status of the Union