The discussion on possible further integration of the European Union and NATO is somewhat controversial for several reasons. On the one hand, the European Union Member States do not unite under the single European army, with NATO being the main actor on the international foreign security agenda. Hence, the EU cannot advance its foreign policy agenda without having a military-oriented institution (Gowan, 2019). On the other hand, NATO’s proven record leads to the need for further exploration of the potential for integrating the EU foreign policy with NATO’s agenda.
NATO members differ from the members of the European Union. Likewise, the goal of NATO is significantly more oriented around creating a secure space for its members. While the European Union was created as predominantly an economic space, security was necessary but not always a uniting factor for its members. The main interest of the European Union in integrating with the NATO members comprises the advancement of the Union’s security at large. The EU advocates for defense and cybersecurity in the vein of possible ongoing crises and NATO would be the primary protective entity to secure the states (Boin, Ekengren, Rhinard, 2013). In addition to that, having an international organization with the full-fledged army and military operations behind the EU’s back would be an excellent reinforcing factor towards the common security agenda. Converging the interests of the EU with NATO would also result in significant economic benefits as security will not require additional membership fees from the EU members.
Nonetheless, the European Union will likely embark on the idea of creating its European Army to protect the collective interests of its Member States. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs will likely oversee the agenda of the European Army at large. The army will help the Union to preserve its unique actorness at the supranational level.
- Boin, A., Ekengren, M., & Rhinard, M. (2013). The European Union as Crisis Manager. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Gowan, P. (2019). The NATO Powers and the Balkan Tragedy. Retrieved 24 November 2019, from https://newleftreview.org/issues/I234/articles/peter-gowan-the-nato-powers-and-the-balkan-tragedy
