To understand the European Union (EU)'s path to being involved in Afghanistan's development, it is essential to contextualize its growing role in Afghanistan. Conterminous with EU marginalization, Ambassador Dr Klaus- Peter Klaiber was appointed European Union Special Representative (EUSR) in December 2001. Under a political mandate, Klaiber sought to support the new interim government, ensure the rights of women and minorities were upheld, fight the trafficking and production of drugs and ‘convince Afghanistan's neighbours that their interference in this process was unwelcome’ (Klaiber 2002). Under an economic mandate, the EUSR's role was to represent European- level interests and reassure Afghanistan that European cooperation would be sustained over the long term. Following an international conference in Tokyo, the EU pledged USD 1 billion in humanitarian aid over the next five years, making it the largest donor at the conference and continuing its humanitarian role from the 1980s and 1990s (Klaiber 2002).

With the EUSR based in Kabul, Klaiber would often need to explain the EU's role and the nature of its action, which was often misunderstood. Before the Bonn Agreement was enacted, the EUSR attempted to persuade the interim Afghan Authority that various political measures should be adopted. Ambassador Klaiber detailed that early on, the most important of these was ‘impressing the importance of a Human Rights Commission, a political assembly, a judicial commission to consider the new constitution and a new legal system’ (Klaiber 2002). Klaiber was able to lobby EU Member States for a more active political role rather than simply making financial contributions (Gross 2009a, 2009b). Yet, with Germany taking responsibility for training the Afghan police force, British counter- narcotics efforts, and French leadership establishing a constitutional committee, this was unheeded. In addition, the EUSR was to act as a voice for Afghanistan in Europe and ensure that Afghanistan did not slip down the political agenda of Member States. The EUSR's ability to speak with ‘one voice’ was especially helpful in furthering international coordination efforts and European integration, both of which were needed given that the EU was a marginalized international actor in a crowded and complex environment dominated by the United States (US). By the time Klaiber left the role of EUSR in June 2002, the EU predominantly remained a humanitarian actor with limited influence.