EU Forges New path to bolster Security Amidst Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
Brussels – As Europe confronts evolving security challenges, a combination of established and newly formed diplomatic and economic tools are emerging to strengthen the continent’s response capabilities, despite the European Union’s historical focus on peacetime foundations.
Recent analysis highlights the EU’s limitations as a traditional “war machine,” but experts point to the growing importance of the European Political Community (EPC) as a crucial forum for unified action. Established following a meeting in Copenhagen last week,the EPC uniquely convenes a broad range of nations,including Ukraine,post-Brexit Britain,turkey under Erdoğan,and countries along the EU’s “eastern flank.”
Beyond the EPC, proposals for internal EU reform are gaining traction. Luuk van Middelaar, founding director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, advocates for the creation of an EU economic security council, modeled after it’s American counterpart. This council would provide geostrategic assessments for key policy decisions,integrating economic statecraft into Brussels’ policymaking processes.
While the EU may not directly wield important hard power, proponents believe that embedding a strategic economic perspective will allow the institutions to more effectively leverage existing resources for both economic prosperity and continental security.
