European Security Strategies and the War in Ukraine

Abstract

The war in Ukraine made European societies wonder how ready they were for it, and exposed new dangers that European leaders had believed gone. First and foremost, once again, a vision of territorial aggression has returned to the list of threats to European security. Does the EU have adequate security strategies to guideline its response to such dangers? Do the strategies structure the development of instruments so that its institutions and Member States can successfully deal with the threat that the war in Ukraine poses to EU societies? The EU has two security strategies, from 2003 and 2016, and it stands to reason to verify their adequateness vis-á-vis the war in Ukraine. This article studies the provisions of these strategies, presents the progress of the war in Ukraine, and verifies the reactions of EU institutions and Member States in face of these events. While it reflects on the provisions of the security strategies in light of the ways the EU and its Member States have reacted to war, it concludes with a proposal of elements that need adjusting within the EU catalogue of possibilities.