European security and defence in the context of current developments

Abstract

The continuous deterioration of the global and regional security environment, the deterioration of the security situation in the immediate and distant surroundings of the territory of the European Union and the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine have raised inexorable questions in the member states of the EU about how they should guarantee their security and defence. Although no member state of the EU was attacked militarily, Ukraine – a partner country of the EU, which moreover immediately neighbours several member countries of the EU – was aggressively attacked by Russia, in violation of international law, which de facto calls into question European stability, as well as the European security and defence regime. That is also why the authors of the paper deal with the issue of European security and defence with the aim of pointing out how the Russian invasion of Ukraine influenced European debates on this urgent topic. In this context, they focus on the Common Security and Defence Policy and the security and defence identity of the EU, its relationship with the North Atlantic Alliance and future security challenges.