The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance composed of 28 states, which border the North Atlantic Ocean. The alliance’s primary role is to provide protection for the member states’ freedom and safety. NATO was initially founded in 1949; at that time, its central function was to protect member states from the communist threat. Moreover, its creation was, to a large extent, rooted in the devastating consequences of World War II, that is, it was, then, supposed to prevent the revival of aggressive nationalism (in this regard, it was NATO that served as a powerful stimulus to the appearance of the European Union). Over time, the functions and roles of NATO changed which was especially remarkable by the end of the Cold War. At that time, its mission had already expanded to prevent threats in the nuclear domain (Amadeo, 2018). After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, NATO transferred its peace-keeping function to the EU.
Needless to explain, the existence of NATO has some important implications for the security and independence of the EU. On the one hand, NATO is a reliable and powerful protector of the EU’s safety. On the other hand, it imposes some limitations on the EU’s independence and, moreover, its cost keeps growing from year to year. Among all the EU’s attempts to enhance their independence in terms of military security, this is the signing of Saint-Malo declaration that is of major importance: this act served as a stimulus for the creation of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) (Raik & Järvenpää, 2017). However, if we approach this issue objectively, it should be admitted that, at present, the EU’s foreign policy and specifically military policy are not independent enough to be regarded in isolation from NATO which plays an important role guarantying the protection and security of the member states.
- Amadeo, K. (2018). NATO, its purpose, history, and members. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/nato-purpose-history-members-and-alliances-3306116
- Raik, K., & Järvenpää, P. (2017). A new era of EU-NATO cooperation. Retrieved from https://icds.ee/wp-content/uploads/2018/ICDS_Report_A_New_Era_of_EU-NATO.pdf
