Full-text resources of CEJSH and other databases are now available in the new Library of Science.
Visit https://bibliotekanauki.pl

PL EN


2023 | 17 | 363-377

Article title

Conceptualizing European Strategic Autonomy

Content

Title variants

PL
Konceptualizacja Europejskiej Autonomii Strategicznej

Languages of publication

Abstracts

PL
Od momentu publikacji Globalnej Strategii Unii Europejskiej (UE) z 2016 roku, która przedstawiła Europejską Autonomię Strategiczną (EAS) jako „globalną ambicję” UE, koncepcja EAS staje się coraz bardziej zakorzeniona w politykach UE. Jednocześnie, znaczenie tej koncepcji pozostaje ulotne w związku z dużą ilością różniących się od siebie definicji i interpretacji. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie i przeanalizowanie jak koncepcja EAS jest definiowana, a także weryfikacja przyjętej hipotezy: pomimo wielu konkurujących konceptualizacji EAS, w UE wyłania się wspólna jej interpretacja. Artykuł pokazuje, jak idea ESA jest przyjmowana i jak ewoluuje w odniesieniu do europejskich think-tanków oraz instytucji UE. Badania, o które oparto artykuł obejmowały szeroki przegląd literatury uwzględniający publikacje naukowe, publikacje think-tanków i oficjalne dokumenty unijne, a także wywiady z urzędnikami UE i przedstawicielami europejskich think-tanków.
EN
Since the Global Strategy of 2016 which presented European Strategic Autonomy (ESA) a global “ambition” of the European Union, the concept of ESA became increasingly embedded in the EU policymaking. However, its meaning remains elusive due to a plurality of competing definitions and interpretations. The aim of this article is to show and analyse how the concept of European Strategic Autonomy is being defined and to verify the hypothesis: despite many competing conceptualizations of ESA, a common understanding of the notion is emerging in the EU. It traces how the concept of ESA is received and evolves in relation to European think-tanks and EU institutions. The research behind this article is based on an extensive review of academic literature, think-tank publications and official EU documents, as well as interviews conducted with EU officials and members of the European think-tank community.

Year

Issue

17

Pages

363-377

Physical description

Dates

published
2023

Contributors

  • Jagiellonian University

References

  • A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy (2016), https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/eugs_review_web_0.pdf, 22.03.2021.
  • Analysis and Research Team (2021), Strategic Autonomy, Strategic Choices, Council of the European Union, Issues Paper 2, February 2021, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/49404/strategic-autonomy-issues-paper-5-february-2021-web.pdf (europa.eu).
  • Anghel S. et al. (2020), On the path to strategic autonomy. The EU in an evolving geopolitical environment, September 2020, European Parliamentary Research Service, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/652096/EPRS_STU(2020)652096_EN.pdf, 24.06.2023.
  • Arteaga F. (2017), Strategic autonomy and European Defence, 12.12.2017, Real Instituto Elcano, Ari 102/2017, https://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/analyses/strategic-autonomy-and-european-defence/, 30.05.2020.
  • Bartels H.-P., Kellner A. M., Optenhögel U. (2017), Strategic Autonomy and the Defence of Europe. On the Road to a European Army?, Deitz, Bonn.
  • Biscop S. (2015), Peace Without Money, War Without Americans. Can European Strategy Cope?, Ashgate, Surrey.
  • Biscop S. (2016), All or Nothing? European and British Strategic Autonomy after the Brexit, September 2016, Egmont Paper, no. 87, https://www.egmontinstitute.be/european-british-strategic-autonomy-after-brexit/, 30.05.2020.
  • Biscop S. (2019), Fighting for Europe. European Strategic Autonomy and the Use of Force, January 2019, Egmont Paper, no. 103, http://www.egmontinstitute.be/content/uploads/2019/01/EP103.pdf?type=pdf, 30.05.2020.
  • Borell J. (2020), Why European strategic autonomy matters, 3.12.2020, European External Action Service, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/why-european-strategic-autonomy-matters_en, 16.05.2021.
  • Brustlein C. (2018), European Strategic Autonomy: Balancing Ambition and Responsibility, IFRI, https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/brustlein_european_strategic_autonomy_2018.pdf, 18.07.2021.
  • Calcara A. (2020), European Defence Decision-Making. Dilemmas of Collaborative Arms Procurement, Routledge, New York.
  • Cartensen M. B., Schmidt V. A. (2016), Power through, over and in ideas: Conceptualizing ideational power in discursive institutionalism, “Journal of European Public Policy”, vol. 23, no. 3.
  • Cartensen M. B., Schmidt V. A. (2018), Ideational power and pathways to legitimation in the euro crisis, “Review of International Political Economy”, vol. 25, issue 6.
  • Council of the European Union (2014), Council conclusions on CSDP, Brussels 18.11.2014, 15532/2/14.
  • Council of the European Union (2015), Council conclusions on CSDP, Brussels 18.05.2015, 8791/15.
  • Council of the European Union, Council conclusions on implementing the EU Global Strategy in the area of Security and Defence, 14149/16.
  • Crespy A., Vanheuverzwijn P. (2019), What “Brussels” means by structural reforms: empty signifier or constructive ambiguity?, “Comparative European Politics”, vol. 17.
  • Csernatoni R. (2022), The EU’s hegemonic imaginaries: from European strategic autonomy in defence to technological sovereignty, “European Security”, vol. 31, issue 3.
  • Damen M. (2022), EU strategic autonomy 2013–2023. From concept to capacity, July 2022, European Parliamentary Research Service, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2022/733589/EPRS_BRI(2022)733589_EN.pdf, 5.06.2023.
  • European Commission (2013), Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector, COM(2013) 542 final, Brussels, 24.07.2013.
  • European Commission (2020), Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A New Industrial Strategy for Europe, COM(2020) 102 final, Brussels, 10.03.2020.
  • European Commission (2021), Trade Policy Review – An Open, Sustainable and Assertive Trade Policy, COM/2021/66 final, Brussels, 18.02.2021.
  • European Council (2013) European Council 19/20 December 2013 Conclusions, Brussels, 20 December 2013, EUCO 217/13, CO EUR 15 CONCL 8, 5.04.2022, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/04/05/council-adopts-conclusions-on-strategic-autonomy-of-the-european-economic-and-financial-sector/, May 2023.
  • European Parliament resolution of 19 February 2009 on the European Security Strategy and ESDP, P6_TA (2009)0075, O.J. EU C 76E, Brussels 25.03.2010.
  • European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2010 on the implementation of the European Security Strategy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (2009/2198(INI)), O.J. EU CE 349/63, Brussels 22.12.2010.
  • European Parliament resolution of 21 November 2013 on the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (2013/2125(INI)), O.J. EU C 436/26, Brussels 24.11.2016.
  • Fiott D. (2019), Defence Industrial Cooperation in the European Union: The State, the Firm and Europe, Routledge, New York.
  • Fiott D. (2022), A Clash of Concepts? Making Sense of ‘European Sovereignty’ and ‘Strategic Autonomy’, “Beyond Autonomy Rethinking Europe as a Strategic Actor”, 7.02.2022, LSE IDEAS, https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/Assets/Documents/reports/LSE-IDEAS-FNF-Beyond-Autonomy.pdf, 20.04.2023.
  • Fiott D. et al. (2021), European Sovereignty. Strategy and interdependence, July 2021, Chaillot Paper 169, Paris, https://cris.vub.be/ws/portalfiles/portal/79090657/CP_169.pdf, 20.04.2023.
  • García Pérez R. (2019), Strategic Autonomy of the European Union, in: The Routledge Handbook of European Security Law and Policy, eds. E. Conde, Z. V. Yaneva, M. Scopelliti, Routdlege, London.
  • Grevi G. (2019), Strategic autonomy for European choices: The key to Europe’s shaping power, European Policy Centre, 19.07.2019, https://wms.flexious.be/editor/plugins/imagemanager/content/2140/PDF/2019/190719_Strategicautonomy_GG.pdf. 7.09.2021.
  • Haughton T. (2016), Beelines, Bypasses and Blind Alleys: Theory and the Study of the European Union, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, vol. 54.
  • Helwig N. (2020), EU Strategic Autonomy. A Reality Check for Europe’s Global Agenda, October 2020, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, https://www.fiia.fi/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wp119_strategic_autonomy-2.pdf, 3.06.2021.
  • Helwig N. (2022), The Ambiguity of the EU’s Global Role: A Social Explanation of the Term ‘Strategic Autonomy’, “European Foreign Affairs Review”, vol. 27, Special Issue.
  • Helwig N., Sinkkonen V. (2022), Strategic Autonomy and the EU as a Global Actor: The Evolution, Debate and Theory of a Contested Term, “European Foreign Affairs Review”, vol. 27, Special Issue.
  • Hoffmeister F. (2023), Strategic Autonomy in the European Union’s External Relations Law, “Common Market Law Review”, vol. 60.
  • Howorth J. (2017), European defence policy between dependence and autonomy: A challenge of Sisyphean dimensions, “The British Journal of Politics and International Relations”, vol. 19, no 1.
  • Howorth J. (2018), Strategic autonomy and EU-NATO cooperation: threat or opportunity for transatlantic defence relations?, ”Journal of European Integration”, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 523–537.
  • Howorth J. (2020), The CSDP in Transition: Towards ‘Strategic Autonomy’?, in: Governance and Politics in the Post-Crisis European Union, eds. R. Coman, A. Crespy, V. A. Schmidt, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Howorth J., Keeler J. T. S. (2003), Defending Europe: the EU, NATO and the Quest for European Autonomy, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
  • Huysmans J. (1996), Security! What do you Mean? From Concept to Thick Signifier, “European Journal of International Relations”, vol. 4, no. 2.
  • Jacobs T., Gheyle N., de Ville F., Orbie J. (2023), The Hegemonic Politics of ‘Strategic Autonomy’ and ‘Resilience’: COVID-19 and the Dislocation of EU Trade Policy, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, vol. 61, issue 1.
  • Järvenpää P., Major C., Sakkov S. (2019), European Strategic Autonomy Operationalising a Buzzword, RKK ICDS – International Centre for Defence and Security, October 2019, https://icds.ee/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ICDS_Report_European_Strategic_Autonomy_Järvenpää_Major_Sakkov_October_2019.pdf, 27.05.2020.
  • Jegen M., Mérand F. (2014), Constructive Ambiguity: Comparing the EU’s Energy and Defence Policies, “West European Politics”, vol. 37, issue 1.
  • Katzenstein P. J., Sil R. (2010), Analytic Eclecticism in the Study of World Politics: Reconfiguring Problems and Mechanisms across Research Traditions, “Perspectives on Politics”, vol. 8, no. 2.
  • Kempin R., Kunz B. (2017), France, Germany, and the Quest for European Strategic Autonomy, SWP-IFRI, December 2017, https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ndc_141_kempin_kunz_france_germany_european_strategic_autonomy_dec_2017.pdf, 30.05.2020.
  • Koppa M. (2022), The Evolution of the Common Security and Defence Policy. Critical Junctures and the Quest for EU Strategic Autonomy, Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Lavery S., McDaniel S., Schmid D. (2022), European Strategic Autonomy: New Agenda, Old Constraints, in: The Political Economy of Geoeconomics: Europe in a Changing World, eds. M. Babić, A. Dixon, I. T. Liu, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
  • Mauro F. (2018), Strategic Autonomy Under the Spotlight. The New Holy Grail of European Defence, Groupe de recherche et d’information sur la paix et la sécurité, GRIP REPORT 2018/1, Bruxelles.
  • Oliveira Martins B., Mawdsley J. (2021), Sociotechnical Imaginaries of EU Defence: The Past and the Future in the European Defence Fund, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, vol. 59, issue 6.
  • Pohl B., van Willigen N. (2015), Analytic Eclecticism and EU Foreign Policy (In)Action, “Global Society”, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 175–198.
  • Schilde K. (2017), The Political Economy of European Security, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Schmidt V. A. (2008), Discursive institutionalism: the explanatory power of ideas and discourse, “Annual Review of Political Science”, vol. 11, no. 1.
  • Schmitz L., Seidl T. (2023), As Open as Possible, as Autonomous as Necessary: Understanding the Rise of Open Strategic Autonomy in EU Trade Policy, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, vol. 61, issue 1.
  • Tocci N. (2021), What It Is, Why We Need It, How To Achieve It, Instituto Affari Internazionali, Rome 2021, https://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/9788893681780.pdf, 19.09.2021.
  • Veselinovič J. (2022), ‘European Foreign Policy Think Tanks and ‘Strategic Autonomy’: Making Sense of the EU’s Role in the World of Geoeconomics’, in: The Political Economy of Geoeconomics: Europe in a Changing World, eds. M. Babić, A. D. Dixon, I. T. Liu, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Document Type

Publication order reference

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki
31233405

YADDA identifier

bwmeta1.element.ojs-doi-10_14746_rie_2023_17_22
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.