EU–NATO cooperation: the key to Europe’s security future

ABSTRACT

The re-launch of the EU’s security and defence project in the wake of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump has focused the spotlight on the relationship between NATO and the EU. This article reviews the detailed aspects of that relationship as studied in the various contributions to this special issue. It argues that, over and above cooperation on the ground, the key issue to be addressed, which is usually skated over in the “big picture” literature on this question, is: where is all this heading? Is there a move towards a clear EU–NATO division of labour (if so, will it be geographic or functional?); or are the allies seeking a radical new balance of responsibilities and commitment as between the US and the Europeans for the stabilisation of the European neighbourhood? The paper argues that EU “strategic autonomy”, as called for in the Global Strategy document of 2016, can only be achieved through the Europeanisation of NATO itself.

KEYWORDS:

• EU–NATO
• transatlantic relationship
• strategy
• CSDP
• European defence
• European security

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Jolyon Howorth is Jean Monnet Professor of European Politics ad personam and Emeritus Professor of European Studies at the University of Bath (UK). He has been a Visiting Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Yale since 2002, dividing his teaching between the Political Science Department, the Jackson Institute and EP&E.