Ukraine Conflict’s Impact on European Defence and Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)
- Autores: Stefania Rutigliano
- Localización: European papers: a journal on law and integration, ISSN-e 2499-8249, Vol. 8, Nº. 2, 2023, págs. 765-777
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
The history of a unified European defence has persistently shaped the European Union's foreign policy, evolving over time. The EU has worked on a robust and coherent Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), particularly boosted by the European Union Global Strategy (EUGS) in 2016, which was issued after external shocks threatened Europe, necessitating strategic priorities to adapt to the evolving geopolitical landscape. This pursuit mirrored the historic "spill-over effect", wherein threats led to coordinated integration. The subsequent development saw the launch of initiatives, including the European Defence Fund (EDF), Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), and Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) aiming at aligning national defence planning, promoting collaboration, and reinforcing European defence. The Russian military aggression against Ukraine in 2022 triggered a renewed need for integration and cooperation, Member States sought enhanced defence measures, including strengthening PESCO and NATO, and establishing the European Political Community (EPC). In this Insight, we will explore how the shifting geopolitical landscape impacts European defence, especially focusing on PESCO, a framework defined in the Treaty of the European Union (TEU) and introduced via the EUGS. After analysing PESCO's structure and key elements, we will assess whether the current situation can drive greater integration and address conflict-related challenges. We will also examine potential future scenarios resulting from these changes.
