The events on September 11th prove that globalization not only endorses an economic character, but also an important political dynamics. This dynamics transforms the nature of the international system, by making a world social system where an increasing number of heterogeneous actors, whose reciprocal relationships are asymmetrical, interact. The events also reflect the necessity of a world governance, at the opposite end of the fragmented governance practiced until now. This world governance has to be conceived as a new institutional construction and as an ensemble of political, economic, social and cultural organizations, making it possible that the globalization process be dealt with consciously and actively, not passively. Strategic action in Europe concerning world governance may go through a reinforcement of the normative power detained by the existing international institutional archipelago, so that global collective preferences can be expressed. – Summary AFRI-2002