Europe’s Harder Edges: Security and Defence

Abstract

Serious reflection upon the Union’s global strategy must include a strong security dimension. This would not only underline what has long been evident, that the EU is no longer just a civilian power; it must also explicitly endorse the assumption of ‘hard’ security roles. The EU is simply unable to defend its wider interests solely by the use of soft-power tools. Moreover, the EU will not escape the effects of conflict in the future. The EU suffers from a profound rhetoric–resources dichotomy with, on the one hand, apparent support for the development of CSDP and, on the other, unwillingness on the part of most EU members to adequately finance and resource collective security efforts. This not only makes the EU a potentially unreliable partner to the USA and NATO, but also poses broader questions about the necessary will on the part of the Member States to help develop the EU into a full-fledged actor.