Publication

(Not) Coming of age? Unpacking the European Union’s quest for strategic autonomy in security and defence

In this article by Eva Michaels & Monika Sus, strategic autonomy in EU foreign policy is examined, tracing its evolution from the 1998 Saint-Malo Declaration to its current focus on both security and economic resilience.

Author: Eva Michaels & Monika Sus
Date: 16 September 2024
Links: Read the full article here

While the concept originally centered on security and defence, it expanded to include areas like trade, energy, and technology after the 2016 EU Global Strategy. Despite this broadening, the security aspect lost some prominence, and the EU introduced the notion of 'open strategic autonomy' in 2020, emphasising economic resilience.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reignited the debate over European strategic autonomy, with some experts calling for strategic interdependence instead. Michaels & Sus argue that Europe must address these ambiguities and engage in more practical discussions on security autonomy. While the EU has made incremental progress in becoming a more autonomous security actor, differing national perspectives and challenges remain, necessitating continued exploration and adaptation in EU security and defence policy.