Implementing the european union global strategy: analysis of change in defence integration

Abstract

The European Union is facing new geopolitical challenges that are much more complex than it was before. Old methods of tackling crisis and lack of cooperation do not allow to ensure security of European countries. Hybrid threats, cyber and terrorist attacks require joint action because the state alone cannot solve these security issues. Furthermore, the lack of stability in the world and a rising number of conflicts near the EU’s external borders make a situation even worse. The new EU Global strategy adopted in 2016 shows that there is a willingness to strengthen common security and defence policy. However, member states have to find a consensus and agree on how to implement their strategy. Almost three years have passed after the adoption of the strategy, but there is a lack of deeper analysis in which areas countries have made progress, what projects are falling behind schedule and what possible causes could explain different implementation progress. As a result, it is necessary to fill a research gap and assess what was achieved in defence integration field. As many political initiatives emerge, ongoing changes must be evaluated. It is unclear how has the European Union defence integration changed after the approval of Global strategy. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to scrutinize development taking place in the field of defence integration, to find out the implementation format of initiatives and the causes of smooth or failed realization. Several objectives were set for achieving this goal. First, the concept of neorealism theory was defined. Afterwards, a deductive method was used based on a systematic theory of security environment. The most important sources were reviewed and structured using qualitative content analysis. Lastly, the main initiatives and changes were identified. The research showed that there are three levels of change. Initially, changes in the international structure were observed. It indicates that the modification of great powers and decreased security in the region effect behaviour of member states. This situation encourages countries to seek self-help strategy. The need for Europe to assume greater responsibility, act autonomously, become a global actor is mention in the documents and reports. Changes in the international structure have an impact on the second factor – state-to-state interactions. Increasing threats increase the likelihood of potential agreements leading to the development of military technology (third factor). Approved common defence projects allow to develop balancing strategy and gain relative power at the global level. Member states are less inclined to apply relative benefit calculations, politicians try to find a compromise because security is one of the top priorities. Although countries are tended to strengthen common security and defence policy, initiatives that more restrict the choice of member states and significantly reduce sovereignty in the defence field do not receive an approval even when the security situation deteriorates. Research implies that international structure has changed the understanding of the EU role in the field of defence and security. Nevertheless, the development of common military capabilities in the EU format remains complicated and limited. The European Union is still seen as a source of soft power, therefore, policies are restricted to specific defence mechanisms. Projects directly increasing military power are more difficult to develop. In general, member states approve initiatives which are more flexible, inclusive and based on voluntary principals. Countries usually support defence policies when there is possibility to choose projects and the level of commitment. The study showed that the EU common security and defence policy remains concentrated on a broader concept of security by implementing research, development, prevention and stabilization measures