European Actorness in a Shifting Geopolitical Order: European Strategic Autonomy Through Differentiated Integration (The European Union in International Affairs)

This is an open access book. With the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, European security has been put on high alert. The implications of the Russian military invasion are many and difficult to grasp in full. However, the need for greater European strategic autonomy appears increasingly evident. The book argues that strategic autonomy may be reached―also in the short run―if differentiated integration is seen as an asset rather than a challenge. While the EU (together with NATO) remains the core in such a system, there is a multitude sub-regional integration processes that need to be taken into account to get the full idea of how European strategic autonomy can be achieved. Preface Acknowledgements Praise for European Actorness in a Shifting Geopolitical Order Contents About the Authors Abbreviations List of Tables 1 Introduction 1.1 Conceptual Clarification: European Integration and Security 1.1.1 European Integration and Strategic Autonomy 1.1.2 Security 1.2 Implications for Our Understanding of European Strategic Autonomy 1.3 The Structure of the Book References 2 Conceptualising the Multi-actorness of EU(ropean) Foreign and Security Policy 2.1 The Limits of Mainstream Theories 2.1.1 EU Foreign and Security Policy as Only the Sum of Its Parts 2.1.2 EU Foreign and Security Policy as More Than the Sum of Its Parts 2.1.3 The Added Value of Multi-level Governance and Differentiated Integration 2.1.4 Differentiated Integration in European Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy 2.2 EU(ropean) Strategic Autonomy Through Differentiated Integration 2.2.1 Moving Beyond the CFSP/CSDP 2.2.2 Moving Beyond Formal Differentiated Integration 2.2.3 Differentiated Integration as a Function of Levels of Integration and Uniformity 2.2.4 Introducing the Role of Agency 2.3 Concluding Remarks References 3 Actorness, Differentiated Integration, and EU(rope)’s Role in the World 3.1 Visions and Decisions 3.2 Responding to a Changing Context 3.3 Capabilities and Resources 3.3.1 Rules and Regulatory Power 3.3.1.1 Formal and Informal Rules (Practices) Regulating a Policy Area 3.3.1.2 The EU as a Regulatory Power 3.3.2 Resources 3.3.3 A Continuous Learning Process 3.3.4 Hybridity and Organisational Skills 3.4 The Degree of Differentiation 3.4.1 The Level of Integration 3.4.2 The Level of Uniformity 3.5 Agency, Actorness, and Strategic Autonomy References 4 EU(ropean) Differentiated Defence Integration 4.1 The Enduring Call for More European Defence in NATO and the EU 4.1.1 Strengthening European Collective Capacity 4.2 How to Make Sense of the Complexity of European Defence Cooperation 4.2.1 Differentiated Defence Integration in the EU 4.2.2 Non-EU Processes of Differentiated European Defence Integration 4.2.2.1 The European Pillar in NATO 4.2.2.2 Bilateral Defence Cooperation 4.3 Implications for Strategic Autonomy References 5 Strategic Autonomy Through External Differentiation 5.1 External Differentiated Integration and Regional Security-Building 5.2 Differentiated Integration Beyond the EU’s Borders 5.3 Varieties of External Differentiation 5.3.1 Economic and Political Cooperation: EEA and Schengen 5.3.2 Increased Cohesion Due to Bilateral Agreements 5.3.3 A Widening and Expanding Union 5.3.4 Leaders, Laggards, and Disruptors—(Dis)agreement in External Differentiated Integration 5.4 Differentiated Integration Beyond the Borders of the EU References 6 Conclusion Reference Index