STRATEGIC AUTONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF MULTILATERALISM

Abstract

The Covid-19 Pandemic has reignited the idea of Strategic Autonomy in the UE. While Brussels has insisted over the last 5 years that Europe should become a major player in defense issues, one has to wonder if the relations with NATO and EU will not change under these circumstances. With the Biden Administration willing to build some bridges with EU it will be interesting to analyze the way the European Union will be able to manage both the development of strategic autonomy while also keeping its multilateral agreements with traditional partners. It is the aim of this paper to analyze the post-pandemic global context into which the UE founds itself and to study the impact that strategic autonomy may have on the member states of the EU, taking into consideration not just defense and security policies, but also economic policies, healthcare issues, the energetic system and the geographical impact that differs for each member state. By doing so we hope to determine what are some way ahead for the EU in its pursue of an increased global player, while becoming a regional leader in the European-Asian and Transatlantic landscape.

Keywords

• strategic autonomy
• deterrence
• security policy
• multilateralism
• common defense