European armed forces - fiction or possible reality? - Център за изследвания по национална сигурност и отбрана (ЦИНСО)

European armed forces - fiction or possible reality?

The idea of creating European Armed Forces emerges after the Kosovo crisis of 1999 and begins to be discussed in more detail, especially after the initial cautious operations within the so-called “Common Security and Defense Policy” of the EU, conducted after 2003. One of the significant reasons for the emergence of this idea is the pressure from the United States for the European Union to take control, particularly the corresponding expenses, for the increasing number of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and stabilizing missions worldwide. Due to the still debated and not entirely clearly defined nature of the idea, strategic documents of the EU often use terms like “defensive capabilities,” “military component,” “civil-military synergy,” etc., instead of European Armed Forces (EAF). Nevertheless, this idea is gaining momentum.

The need for building defensive capabilities is emphasized in the latest strategic document in this area – the EU’s Global Strategy of 2016. The idea of EAF finds numerous supporters, especially among representatives of the current liberal school in international relations theory, who advocate the thesis of Europe as a “humanitarian” or even a “liberal force”…

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Authors

Member-Correspondent Stefan Hadjitodorov, Dr. Nikolay Pavlov, Dr. Georgi Krastev, Atanas Radev

Summary

At its inception, the European Union was conceived as an organization for economic cooperation, aimed at preventing and overcoming conflicts, rather than as a defense union. The development of European integration has led to the accumulation of new competencies and the increasingly frequent consideration of the need for stronger cooperation, including the creation of European Armed Forces (EAF). Additionally, numerous internal and external threats and factors exist, justifying the necessity of establishing an effective and efficient security and defense system within the European Union, which would act as a unified structure. Despite various obstacles and the lack of clear and firm political will, there is a common belief that the formation of such integrated armed forces will not be easy, and they may not become a reality in the near future. However, substantive debates must be intensively conducted to clarify details, overcome obstacles, and with a perspective towards the next decade, make EAF a reality. The time for realizing this idea has not yet arrived, but it is evidently not too far off.

Year

Edition

Key words

European Armed Forces, Common Security and Defense Policy of the EU, Defense Capabilities of the EU, Threats and Risks to the EU, Obstacles and Opportunities for the EU