EU defence policy in the face of war: from non-existence to inconsistency

Abstract

The EU lacks a fully-fledged defence policy. The Common Security and Defence Policy – the CSDP – is not an EU defence policy in proper terms; it is – according to Art. 42(1) TEU – a policy for carrying out ‘missions outside the Union for peace-keeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security’. This is like this because, following the failure of the European Defence Community in 1954 and thus following the failure of the first attempt to have an autonomous defence policy, it was decided that Europe’s defence should be put in the hands of NATO. For many years Europe has felt comfortable and confident under NATO’s protective umbrella. However, the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022 and the arrival of Donal Trump to the US government in 2025 have made the EU feel insecure, unprepared to face the consequences of the war and to take responsibility for its own defence. Since then, the EU has made a huge effort to redesign its defence policy and to equip it with a new strategic and regulatory content. However, the new EU defence policy is still incomplete today, lacking adequate institutional set-up; inconsistent, lacking of internal cohesion and of anchoring in the Treaties; and inefficient, limited by the requirement of unanimity in decision-making.