The Eu as an International Security Actor: a Comprehensive Approach

There is a vibrant discussion in academia about the role of the European Union (EU) in international security. However, this discussion largely concentrates on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), not fully acknowledging the instruments of the European Commission. Also, the majority of publications tend to limit the analysis to more traditional security problems, whilst literature on contemporary security studies often illustrates how the security concept has broadened in the last few decades. This thesis offers an original framework to studying the EU as a security actor, by adopting the comprehensive approach. Such an approach is important in order to address two aforementioned problems in the literature. First, this thesis does not limit its analysis to the CSDP, but also looks at the role of the European Commission in developing the EU's international security policy. Second, this thesis goes beyond traditional security problems, by including three diverse case studies: a) climate change, representing the so-called 'non-traditional' security challenge; b) the threat of the proliferation of WMDs, in particular from Russia; and c) piracy off the Somali coast. This PhD concludes that the EU already plays a significant role as an international security actor; there are two important aspects of this role. Firstly, the analysis has demonstrated that the instruments of the European Commission, such as the Instrument for Stability, significantly complement EU policies undertaken within the framework of the CSDP. Secondly, this study has also demonstrated the importance of including the so-called 'non-traditional' security challenges, such as climate change, when analysing the role of the EU as a security actor. Thus, it was important to analyse EU policy in this area, alongside EU policies regarding more traditional security problems. As a result of these findings, this thesis makes an important and original contribution to the European studies literature.