The final JOINT research output, the culmination of a 3-year research effort, analyses how the EU has dealt with crises and conflicts in the last 15 years including Russia’s invasions of Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear dispute, Syria’s civil war – to understand the nature of the EU’s role in international security. In this context, the EU can be considered a ‘relational power’, an entity dynamically constituted by its interaction with its internal and domestic context. The paper also speculates about how the EU could navigate the agitated waters of competitive geopolitics in three scenarios, one of institutional reform, one of policy adjustments, and one of governance structure.

The EU’s record in managing conflicts and crises around the world has been mixed at best. From Syria to Libya and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the EU’s ability to positively impact and resolve these situations has been limited. Even in cases where the EU achieved seemingly significant breakthroughs, like the Iran nuclear deal or the Kosovo-Serbia talks, these successes have proven temporary and susceptible to reversal. In this JOINT Brief, Riccardo Alcaro notes how, unless institutional reforms are enacted, the EU’s capacity for impactful action on international security matters is likely to remain modest.