EU Foreign and Security Policy in the 21st Century

Abstract

The European Security Strategy, the first strategic reflection at the European Union (EU) level, adopted in 2003, opened with the sentence ‘Europe has never been so prosperous, so secure nor so free’ (European Council, 2003). The optimism contained in this statement contrasts starkly with the opening remarks of the EU Global Strategy, presented in June 2016 to the European Council by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. This new security strategy stated: ‘We live in times of existential crisis, within and beyond the European Union. Our Union is under threat. Our European project, which has brought unprecedented peace, prosperity and democracy, is being questioned’ (EEAS, 2016). Five years later, this assessment remains valid. Indeed, despite the institutional reforms brought forward by the Lisbon Treaty (2009), which included the establishment of the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service (EEAS), there is agreement among both observers and policymakers that the EU faces increasing political, economic and existential challenges. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that emerged in 2020 has compounded these challenges.