EU Security Policy Research Articles

The High Representative and EU Foreign Policy Integration: A Comparative Study of Kosovo and Ukraine

This book offers an account of how the institutionalisation of the EU foreign and security policy has impacted processes of European integration. The manuscript proposes a ‘synthetic’ model through which it examines evidence of EU member states’ preference ordering and interest aggregation by the High Representative in the context of EU-Kosovo and EU-Ukraine relations.

Great Expectations: The EU's Social Role as a Great Power Manager

Through the case of EU foreign and security policy we reconsider the concept of great power. According to common wisdom, the EU cannot be a great power, whatever the pronouncements of its top officials may be. We argue that ‘great power’ has been miscast in IR theory as a status rather than as a social role, and, consequently, that the EU can indeed be viewed as playing the great power role. Such a conceptual shift moves analytical attention away from questions of what the EU is – ‘big’, ‘small’, ‘great’, and so on – to what it is expected to do in international politics. We focus on the expectation that great powers engage in the management of the international system, assessing the EU as a great power manager in two senses: first, in the classical sense of ‘great power management’ of Hedley Bull – which centers on great powers’ creation of regional spheres of influence and the maintenance of the general balance of power – and second, in light of recent corrections to Bull's approach by Alexander Astrov and others, who suggest great power management has changed toward a logic of governmentality, i.e. ‘conducting the conduct’ of lesser states.

The European Parliament in view of the development of the EU Security and Defence Policy after the Lisbon Treaty

The European Parliament in view of the development of the EU Security and Defence Policy after the Lisbon Treaty

Republic of Moldova in the Context of Regional Security Challenges in Eastern Europe

This article analyzes the most current security issues for the Republic of Moldova that are part of the regional security context of Eastern Europe –the region that can be considered the epicenter of international tensions through which the„geopolitical line of fracture”passes. The geographical position of the Republic of Moldova makes this state particularly sensitive to any negative trends in theregion. Growing of international tensions creates security threats and complicates economic development. From a historical point of view, Moldova has repeatedly fallen victim by the confrontation of the great powers. Therefore, the Republic of Moldova has a vital interest in preventing a new conflict in Eastern Europe.
 This article is based on a number of assumptions made by changes in the European security environment, such as the „shift of weight” to the East, strategic uncertainty, increasing the role of non-state actors, the situation in eastern Ukraine, etc.
 Based on these assumptions, this article makes an attempt to outline the potential role of the Republic of Moldova in the Eastern European security system, taking into account the desideratum for integration of the republic into the European Union. Other relevant factors will be taken into account for shaping the role of the Republic of Moldova in the European security system, namely: the security deficit; the impact of NATO and EU security policy; the rebirth of the project to create a regional defense alliance, etc. This article will largely take into account the military aspects of security.
 Keywords: Republic of Moldova, national security, Eastern Europe, NATO, Intermarium, defence, threats, risks, challenges

Neofunctionalism and EU external policy integration: the case of capacity building in support of security and development (CBSD)

ABSTRACT Under the umbrella of Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development (CBSD), the EU provides equipment and infrastructure to the armed forces of partner countries. The 2017 reform of the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) to implement CBSD represents a remarkable integrative step at the interface of EU security and development policy. This article explains the IcSP reform through a neofunctionalist lens. It argues that the extension of the Commission’s competences in EU security affairs can be explained by the interaction of functional and cultivated spillover pressures. Functional discrepancies between the CSDP framework and EU development policy created strong pressures for further integrative steps. Moreover, the Commission exerted strong pressures for adopting its proposal for implementing CBSD through the IcSP by drawing on a combination of strategic coalition-building, bargaining tactics and community framing. The case illustrates neofunctionalism’s potential to explain external policy integration.

Security policy preferences of EU citizens: Do terrorist events affect them?

This article examines whether terrorist attacks affect citizens’ policy preferences by focusing on attitudes toward EU security and defense policy as recorded by the 2016 Eurobarometer survey. The survey was conducted a few months after the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. Both the January and November terrorist incidents captured worldwide attention, claimed many lives, and caused France to declare a state of emergency. To identify the presence or absence of a statistically traceable and significant effect on security policy preferences, expressed by French citizens in the Eurobarometer survey, we compare and contrast the responses from survey participants in an aggregate EU sample and in two other EU member states. In broad terms, our results indicate that the effect of the terrorist attacks was rather weak and short-lived, and affected only a limited number of policy preferences.

Analiza dokumentów strategicznych Unii Europejskiej: Human Security jako paradygmat unijnej polityki przeciwdziałania terroryzmowi

AN ANALYSIS OF EU STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS: MAKING HUMAN SECURITYA PARADIGM WITHIN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTERTERRORISM POLICYThis paper analyses European Union strategic documents for evidence that EU counterterro­rism policy is founded on the Human Security HS approach. It concentrates on three main strategic documents: the EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy 2005, the European Agenda on Security 2015, and the EU Global Strategy 2016 which define the EU’s current approach to terrorism. Three determinants are established to research whether counterterrorism policy is founded on the HS pa­radigm: a people-centred approach, the presence of a wide range of threats, and a strong presence of non-state actors. The analysis shows that counterterrorism policy is constructed on the HS paradigm, however with strong and influential leverage from member states. This paradigm was chosen by EU institutions because it guarantees a strong position of EU agencies in contrast to the traditional mem­ber state-centred approach to security. It helps also to show that EU security policy makes citizens a priority, which could increase legitimacy of the EU in the eyes of its people.

Legitimacy and EU security and defence policy: the chimera of a simulacrum (part of the collection “Understanding legitimacy in EU foreign policy”)

ABSTRACTHow can EU defence policy best be grounded in democratic consent and what are the implications for policy makers of alternative models available? This question has to rest at the heart of any consideration of the democratic legitimacy of the European Union’s evolving “common” foreign, security and defence policies – bearing on the “internal input legitimacy” of this special issue. This article considers the European Union’s defence policy and asks where does the democratic legitimacy of such a policy rest and is such legitimation a necessary condition of developing such a policy? Critically, it also assesses the implications for policy making and policy makers, arising from such legitimization by considering the implications of a shift from first to second generation analysis of civil–military relations and the options for strengthening the democratic legitimacy of this policy area as its development accelerates.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy after Brexit: A Security and Defence Treaty for the Deep and Special Partnershipp

The United Kingdom has indicated its willingness to maintain, after Brexit, a ‘deep and special partnership’ with the EU in the field of security and defence. The Draft Withdrawal Agreement leaves open the opportunity for the EU and the UK to conclude a Treaty on Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which may be applicable during the transition period. Despite not having figured prominently in the referendum campaign, the issue raises questions of constitutional importance for the EU. This article proposes four possible scenarios for how the ‘deep and special partnership’ of the UK and EU may look like from a legal perspective – in particular, what will be the future participation of the UK in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. This arrangement is hereby discussed under the name of Security and Defence Treaty. While the intricacies of the legal disentanglement only offer a partial view of the full impact of Brexit, the UK’s withdrawal might considerably and negatively affect the European Union’s influence in security and defence.

Human Security jako paradygmat polityki bezpieczeństwa Unii Europejskiej w kryzysowych czasach

This paper examines whether or not the Human Security approach is a paradigm of EU security policy. It focuses on two recently published EU documents: the European Agenda on Security (EAS) and the EU Global Strategy (EUGS). First, the concept of Human Security is explained. Next, the methodology of the research is presented, in which three questions are posed to identify the presence of the Human Security approach: Are they concerned with the security of people? Are threats broadly defined? Are entities that execute the EU’s security policy broadly defined? Analysis conducted within this paper shows that the EAS and EUGS have been built on the Human Security approach, meaning that it is a paradigm for EU security policy. In the conclusion, the author wonders whether the Human Security approach is well-suited to new challenges for security that have arisen in Europe after Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Globalna strategia a redefinicja polityki Unii Europejskiej w jej sąsiedztwie

The immediate neighbourhood and the processes that are taking place here represent a significant challenge for the European Union from its very beginning. Recently there have been overlapping crises and transformations that have a significant impact on the whole region, but also on the shape of EU foreign and security policy. These include the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine from 2014, annexation of the Crimea by Russia, and consequently the destabilization of Ukraine itself and the whole region. The aim of the article is to answer the question of the direction of the redefinition of the European Union's foreign and security policy in its neighborhood, based on newly adopted strategic documents such as the 2016 Global Strategy of the European Union, its original version – European Security Strategy and closely related European Union Neighborhood Policy from 2015. This article will answer the basic research questions: To what extent has the European Union adopted the newly adopted Global Strategy to reformulate its role and identity in the world?, What are the bases, goals and scope of the EU’s policy change vis-a-vis its neighbourhood, both theoritical and practical?, Is the EU neighbourhood revision helpful in the context of the region’s changes?

JUDICIAL REVIEW IN THE EU'S COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY

AbstractThe EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was conceived of as an area ill-suited for full judicial review by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty confers on the Court limited jurisdiction which the recent case law has interpreted in broad terms. This article will place this case law in the broader constitutional setting of the EU legal order and will provide a critical analysis of its implications for both the EU's and domestic courts. The analysis is structured on the basis of three main themes. The first is about the position of CFSP in the EU's constitutional architecture: the article will analyse the constitutional ambivalence that characterizes this position and how it is conveyed by the provisions of the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union governing the Court's jurisdiction. The second theme is about the recent case law, and the integrationist approach that the Court of Justice has adopted to the scope of its jurisdiction. The third theme is about national courts: the article will argue that recent case law has been too quick to dismiss them, and that primary law renders them an essential part of the judicial review system governing CFSP.

(In)efficiency of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy: Ukraine, Brexit, Trump and beyond

Abstract The main aim of this article is to explore and analyze key determinants of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy efficiency. For this purpose a 3C analytical approach is used, exploring EU foreign and security policy consistency, capacities and the dimension of cooperation. Article analyzes both horizontal and vertical, consistency of EU Foreign and Security policy especially with connection to Ukraine crises and diverging interests of EU member states. EU capacities are explored with main focus on military spending and challenges related to limited spending. EU military decline is put in contrast with new emerging regional powers. In the area of cooperation article is dedicated mainly to ineffective partnership with Turkey, cold attitude of Trump administration towards Europe and the implications of Brexit for EU foreign and security policy.

The new Global Strategy for the EU's Foreign and Security Policy at a time of human rights crises

This article explores whether the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy adds new significance to the human rights commitment spelled out in EU Treaties and elaborated in other sectoral, strategic documents. In particular, it investigates whether the Strategy’s take on human rights continues or complements the Union’s earlier approach in the field or prioritises them in the Union’s activities. The article commences with an identification of the modalities through which the new Strategy voices human rights both as values and objectives in EU external policies. This is done against the background of coherence and resilience as organising concepts of the Union’s external action and the Global Strategy itself. It goes on to draw from our research findings of three case studies as focused on the EU human rights and rule of law failure at home (Poland and Hungary), at its borders (in relation to migration), and in its closest vicinity (Ukraine). These serve as the background for the analysis of how the pursuit of human rights objectives is continued, complemented or prioritised against the background of and with the use of the two foundational concepts. It is contended that coherence and resilience advance (if at times modestly) the existing EU human rights agenda, continuing earlier approaches (for example, ensuring a comprehensive human rights approach to conflict and crisis) or complementing them (for example, using and investing in all instruments aimed at conflict prevention, management, resolution and stabilisation; connecting the internal and external spheres and policies). The migration policy remains a problematic one, as the implementation of the rhetorical commitment to the prioritisation of human rights does not stand trial with the general atmosphere in European and world politics.

European Union Security Policy: Historical Retrospection

The EU security policy is an inseparable part of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy elaborated within the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. Sucurity and defence issues are quite vulnerable for any state sovereignty that is why it took Member Statets rather long time to agree on principles, directions and priorities of their common security policy as well as on cooperation with the NATO. With the development of the European Community, in the sphere of security policy a number of structures were established and a number of principled documents were adopted. The article researches the evolution of the EU security policy influenced by external cgallenges and threats

The Benelux approach to EU integration and external action

ABSTRACTAs small states with a cosmopolitan outlook, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, have a natural interest in good-neighbourly relations and in cooperating through the EU. However, despite the closely knit nature of the economic, monetary and physical spheres of the lowlands, their attitudes to European integration diverge. Whereas the Netherlands has taken a transactional and even Eurosceptic position, Belgium sticks to its federalist approach to integration as a natural extension of its own constitutional structures which receive shelter from the EU. Luxembourg shares the federalist ideals but adopts an autonomous stance to protect its position as an international tax haven. These generic findings apply less to matters of EU foreign and security policy, which is the main subject of investigation of this special forum.

Adaptation for autonomy? Candidates for EU membership and the CFSP

ABSTRACTThis paper looks at the specific situation of those European states currently candidates for accession to the European Union. These countries are expected to align their domestic laws and policies with the EU “acquis” to fulfil the admission criteria. Foreign policy is no exception. Indeed, the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy has become an increasingly significant part of the accession conditionality since the countries from south-east Europe embarked on the membership course. Arguably, the obligation to adapt to EU norms in the area of CFSP is stronger for candidates than for existing members of the EU. As a result, candidates might eventually enjoy more foreign policy autonomy once inside the EU than they did before accession. There is a risk that this discrepancy between the requirements of pre-accession adaptation and the relative post-accession autonomy may have a negative impact on integration in the field of foreign policy.

A European Union global strategy for a changing world?

The EU agreed a ‘global strategy on foreign and security policy’ in June 2016, in the midst of unprecedented turmoil within the EU and outside it. This article begins with a discussion of what ‘strategy’ entails, and the challenges of strategising in the EU. It then traces the development of the EU global strategy, focusing on why it was considered to be necessary, and summarises its content. Finally, the article analyses the new strategy in terms of clarity of strategic objectives, specification of resources dedicated to the pursuit of those objectives, and provision for monitoring of progress made in achieving the objectives. The global strategy provides a more ‘realist’ guide for EU foreign and security policy in the near future, but Brexit presents a severe challenge to implementing it in a world in which EU influence is increasingly resisted or contested.

POST-CRIMEAN TWISTER: RUSSIA, THE EU AND THE LAW OF SANCTIONS

EU-Russia relations have never been simple. On the one hand, these two international actors have common values and interests. On the other, they have a conflictual relationship, which has become particularly acute after the Ukrainian crisis that started in 2014. After Ukrainian crisis, the EU and Russia have entered a new era. Unfortunately, it is an era of brinkmanship. This brinkmanship is marked, prima facie, by mutual sanctions. After 20 years of partnership and good neighborliness it sounds illogically, but it is a reality. The strategic nature of the EU-Russia partnership has been placed in doubt. The aim of this article is to show that the “war of sanctions,” which has frozen official contacts and negotiations have not achieved anything. This crisis can only be overcome through dialogue. However, at the moment, the main critics of the EU sanctions amongst EU Member States are too weak to convince the other members to lift them. The article concerns the modern legal aspects and modern legal circumstances surrounding EU-Russia relations in the light of recent events and the deterioration of relations between Russia and the EU in general. In this framework, an account is given of the EU’s reaction to the Ukrainian conflict in the context of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and of the EU restrictive measures as well as in the context of the Russian countersanctions. A special attention is paid to the EU Court of Justice case-law in the field of the restrictive measures.

The UK and EU Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after Brexit: Integrated, Associated or Detached?

None of the existing models for the future trade policy relationship between the UK and the EU come with a predetermined foreign and security policy relationship. This article assesses how the future EU-UK foreign and security policy relationship might be organised post-Brexit. It provides evaluation of the current EU-UK interrelationship in the fields of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and assesses the degree to which the UK is presently integrated into EU decision-making and implementation. It highlights that the UK needs to determine the degree to which it wants autonomy or even divergence from existing EU policies. The article concludes by rehearsing the costs and benefits of three possible future relationships between the UK and EU foreign, security and defence policy: integrated, associated or detached.