Bridging Internal and External Security: Lessons from the European Security and Defence Policy

Abstract

This article suggests that the development of the European Security and Defence Policy has not only signalled a new tempo in EU policy making but seems also to have unforeseen consequences in that it pushes forward the development of the EU’s internal security policy. The link is visible most clearly in the crisis management capabilities that have been built up with external operations in mind, but that, once established, have been perceived as having internal utility. It is argued in this article that it is comparatively much easier to develop such capacities in the field of external relations and that the development of capacities, in turn, leads to the need for more shared strategic thinking. Bridging internal and external security is not friction–free, however; in particular, different views on the relative competences of the EU Council and the Commission make it more difficult. Yet, there are encouraging signs of increasingly holistic security thinking emerging within the EU.