The European Union: a new basis for common security

Political scientist Félix Blanc argues that the EU lacks a unified security voice and remains overly dependent on the US, particularly regarding nuclear deterrence and military infrastructure. He contends that current initiatives like the European Defence Fund and the military mobility plan risk reinforcing this dependence rather than fostering strategic autonomy. Blanc proposes a Franco-German led initiative for nuclear disarmament and the creation of a new collective security architecture based on multilateralism and preventive disarmament to address threats from Russia, China, and regional instabilities.

• The European Union lacks a unified security voice and remains dependent on the US, as evidenced by capability gaps during the 2011 Libya intervention and a lack of consensus on the use of armed force.
• The US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) on 2 August 2019, driven by a 'pivot' toward China, risks leaving US-Russian strategic competition on European soil unregulated.
• The author proposes a diplomatic initiative, potentially led by France and Germany, to replace the INF with a new treaty prohibiting intermediate nuclear weapons that includes China, Iran, India, and Pakistan, and demands the withdrawal of American tactical nuclear weapons from Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.
• The European Defence Fund, with a planned budget of 13 billion euros for 2021-27, and the 6.5 billion euro military mobility plan may actually increase EU dependence on the US by complementing NATO capacities and facilitating the movement of non-EU armies.
• A feasible European deterrence model could involve France and potentially Great Britain taking the US's place in guaranteeing continental defence within the transatlantic partnership, potentially creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone from the Atlantic to the Urals.

APA

Blanc, F. (2019). The European Union: a new basis for common security. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-european-union-a-new-basis-for-common-security/

Chicago

Blanc, Félix. The European Union: a new basis for common security. Green European Journal, 2019. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-european-union-a-new-basis-for-common-security/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Blanc |first1=Félix |title=The European Union: a new basis for common security |publisher=Green European Journal |date=17 October 2019 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-european-union-a-new-basis-for-common-security/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{blanc2019european, author = {Blanc, Félix}, title = {{The European Union: a new basis for common security}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-european-union-a-new-basis-for-common-security/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }