The enhancement of the European Union’s strategic autonomy through PESCO

The European Union has made great strides in integration in many areas. However, military cooperation is lagging behind. Various factors such as the war in Ukraine show that the EU must pull together and not remain dependent on the US and NATO. The introduction of PESCO as an instrument appears to be a step towards strategic autonomy for the European Union’s defence entity. The aim of this research is to discuss PESCO and to what extent this instrument can lead to the European Union’s strategic autonomy. The following research question was therefore used: Will PESCO contribute to strategic autonomy for the European Union's defense and if so, why? Through interviews with various experts in the field of European military cooperation and document research, there is a high degree of coherence between the member states to expand military cooperation. This also has a positive effect on external events such as the war in Ukraine, making PESCO appear to be adaptive. However, the EU's...Show moreThe European Union has made great strides in integration in many areas. However, military cooperation is lagging behind. Various factors such as the war in Ukraine show that the EU must pull together and not remain dependent on the US and NATO. The introduction of PESCO as an instrument appears to be a step towards strategic autonomy for the European Union’s defence entity. The aim of this research is to discuss PESCO and to what extent this instrument can lead to the European Union’s strategic autonomy. The following research question was therefore used: Will PESCO contribute to strategic autonomy for the European Union's defense and if so, why? Through interviews with various experts in the field of European military cooperation and document research, there is a high degree of coherence between the member states to expand military cooperation. This also has a positive effect on external events such as the war in Ukraine, making PESCO appear to be adaptive. However, the EU's presence has not yet reached that point and NATO is still mainly looked to when it comes to military cooperation. Despite of this PESCO has shown to be promising for the near future.Show less

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The enhancement of the European Union’s strategic autonomy through PESCO