CSDP mission's effectiveness: An analysis of Georgia and Ukraine

The EU is a leader on the international stage in peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and strengthening international security. An important tool used by the EU for this purpose are the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. However, it is not clear whether these missions are effective since there is no consensus in the academic literature on this. The trend among most scholars is negative, but others argue that there are signs for optimism. These differences arise, among other things, from the different perspectives that can be held, namely that of the implementer or the receiver. In the academic literature there is more harmony when it comes to which factors influence the effectiveness of missions. Of these, The level of local ownership, sensitivity to unique local dynamics, the amount of budget, the unity of actors, and the level of human capacity stand out. The European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia are two CSDP...Show moreThe EU is a leader on the international stage in peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and strengthening international security. An important tool used by the EU for this purpose are the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. However, it is not clear whether these missions are effective since there is no consensus in the academic literature on this. The trend among most scholars is negative, but others argue that there are signs for optimism. These differences arise, among other things, from the different perspectives that can be held, namely that of the implementer or the receiver. In the academic literature there is more harmony when it comes to which factors influence the effectiveness of missions. Of these, The level of local ownership, sensitivity to unique local dynamics, the amount of budget, the unity of actors, and the level of human capacity stand out. The European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia are two CSDP missions with a very different approach but with a comparable international context for the European Union. The former is focused on reforming the security sector, where the latter has been implemented with the aim of not allowing hostilities to recur. Both Ukraine and Georgia are active in the Eastern Partnership of the European Union and have a so-called Association Agreement with the EU. According to the literature, the latter can contribute as leverage to the success of a mission. In addition, both countries have a similar geostrategic position and have to deal with the same external threat, namely Russia. Based on the analysis of these two missions, it is not possible to give a generalised answer to the question of how effective CSDP missions are. However, it has emerged that the EUMM in Georgia was a considerable success and has proven to be more effective than the EUAM in Ukraine, which has not had major successes. These contradictory results show that CSDP missions should not be levelled out in advance when it comes to Effectiveness. The results of the analysis also show that the level of local ownership, sensitivity to unique local dynamics, and the unity of actors in particular influenced the degree of effectiveness of the missions. In addition, this analysis indicates that mission effectiveness and local perception of effectiveness are not related to the attitude of the local population towards the European Union. This may have implications for the academic literature that claims this is the case, but more research is needed to confirm this. In addition, this research has shown that both missions are unable to improve the level of democracy in the host states, which decreased significantly in both cases. This creates a practical implication for the European Union when implementing CSDP missions in the future.Show less

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CSDP mission's effectiveness: An analysis of Georgia and Ukraine