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...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
This dissertation aimed to understand why countries who were initially against enhanced cooperation within PESCO, subsequently joined the initiative upon its establishment in 2017. In answering...Show moreThis dissertation aimed to understand why countries who were initially against enhanced cooperation within PESCO, subsequently joined the initiative upon its establishment in 2017. In answering this question, it was essential to understand what explains change over time in the security and defence policy of a state. To answer why countries change their perspectives on enhanced cooperation, this dissertation has applied the theory of neoclassical realism. Neoclassical realism understands that interaction between two actors influences international outcomes, while taking into account how domestic factors influence these outcomes. Neoclassical realism is based on a struggle for power and security between states and helps to understand foreign policy outcomes at different times. This theory was applied to the Netherlands, to analyse how changes in the external environment of the Netherlands affected its security and defence policy.Show less
The idea for a European military force is not new. Ideas of a European military force had been considered a key priority soon after the EU had been established in 1952, then in the form of a so...Show moreThe idea for a European military force is not new. Ideas of a European military force had been considered a key priority soon after the EU had been established in 1952, then in the form of a so-called ‘European Defence Community’, but were set aside after multiple disagreements in the 1950s. However, since the shift in the international order in the 1990s after the fall of the USSR, the general but slow shift in world powers tilting towards a rising China, the shift in the relationship with the U.S., and other continued military threats throughout the world, the EU has revoked its former stance on defence and security and has taken a variety of steps to develop this field. Yet, despite these threats, shifts and initiatives, an official and entirely European military force has never been achieved. Why has the EU only been able to come to the current level of cooperation and integration of EU defence and not any further? This thesis will argue that three obstacles have been important in this development.Show less
This thesis shows the obstacles EU defense has historically faced and the extent to which present-day initiatives have been designed to (hopefully) overcome at least some of those obstacles. This...Show moreThis thesis shows the obstacles EU defense has historically faced and the extent to which present-day initiatives have been designed to (hopefully) overcome at least some of those obstacles. This thesis shows how recent developments in the EU's security and defence policy, such as PESCO, are designed to overcome institutional, geopolitical and strategic obstacles to the EU's security. The (historic) institutional obstacle to cooperation in the EU's security and defence policy have become obstacles to the EU's security, with the recent change in Europe's security environment; with the more assertive foreign policy of the Russian Federation and the change in US foreign policy under president Donald Trump. This in turn led to a reaction of the EU and its Member States.Show less
