The concept of European Strategic Autonomy (ESA) was first introduced in the EU’s Global Strategy of 2016 and alludes to a stronger role of the EU in international politics, to consequently achieve...Show moreThe concept of European Strategic Autonomy (ESA) was first introduced in the EU’s Global Strategy of 2016 and alludes to a stronger role of the EU in international politics, to consequently achieve more autonomy in its foreign and security policy. For the European Union (EU), 5G is an integral determinant of strategic autonomy, having implications for security and economic policy (a foreign policy tool). The question that this research study has attempted to answer is to what extent has the German discourse on 5G (from 2018 until 2020) shaped the development of the EU’s strategic autonomy. The independent variables identified in the literature review (which explain the security and economic implications of 5G, that can shape the development of ESA), were explored through the German discourse. This discourse is particularly important since Germany is one of the leading countries in the EU and the EU’s foreign and security policy depends strongly on Germany’s decisions. Since ESA depends on the legitimacy of the EU member states and the approach to 5G remains a national decision, analysing the national discourse of a member state made more sense than looking at the EU’s discourse on 5G. The results of the discourse analysis show that the development of ESA has been slightly strengthened.Show less
