Magnus Ekengren

Solidarity or Sovereignty? EU Cooperation in Civil Protection

Abstract Civil protection is one of the more established European competences within the emerging protection policy space. It is also emblematic of an enduring tension within European politics. European Union states acknowledge the need to work closely to address pressing common issues. Yet those same states retain a tight grip on EU policy activities so as to protect their national sovereignty. That tension is apparent in the adopted ‘solidarity declaration’ from 2004, in which member states vow to assist one another in a disaster, and in the development of the EU’s civil protection competences, where member states have carefully controlled their delegation of powers. This article explores how this tension manifests itself ‘on the ground’, in the actual operation of civil protection missions. Two cases are analysed — the 2002 floods in Central Europe and the 2004 Asian tsunami — in order to understand how member states acted collectively through EU structures and with what effect on the EU’s disaster response effectiveness. By exploring member states’ contributions to joint efforts, how those efforts were organized and what lessons were learned for future development, light is shed on how sovereignty concerns may prove to be an obstacle to solidarity.

Protecting the Union: Analysing an Emerging Policy Space

Abstract Recent organizational, institutional and policy developments signal a new type of co–operative policy activity at the European level and suggest the emergence of a new policy space in the European Union. What binds together the activities in that space is a common concern for the protection of the EU citizen. This new policy space crosses sectoral boundaries, draws in a number of governmental and societal actors, and comprises a variety of institutional venues. Moreover, its dimensions span the internal and external divide in EU policies. This article serves as an introduction to a special issue on the topic of the EU’s emerging protection policy space. It first discusses the empirical parameters of this emerging space, before outlining a set of research questions and surveying the theoretical landscape for addressing these questions. It concludes by introducing the articles that comprise the special issue.

Preparing for the World Risk Society: Towards a New Security Paradigm for the European Union

The world of crises and disasters is changing rapidly. We are witnessing new types of adversity. In addition, modern societies have become increasingly vulnerable to disruptions, new and old. This new world demands new types of responses, which nation states cannot produce alone. Nation states will have to cooperate to protect their citizens from these threats. This article investigates the role of the European Union in the development of new safety and security arrangements. It identifies conceptual building blocks for a new security paradigm and offers design principles that can facilitate a shared way of thinking and acting in the safety and security domain.

Managing Transboundary Crises : The Emergence of European Union Capacity

The European Union (EU) has modest but promising capacities to assist member states overwhelmed by disaster through its Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU also routinely sends civil and military missions to hotspots outside EU territory. But these capacities do not suffice in the face of transboundary crises: threats that cross geographical and policy borders within the Union. Examples include epidemics, financial crises, floods, and cyber terrorism. Nation states cannot cope with these threats without international collaboration. In this article, we explore the EUs efforts to develop transboundary crisis management capacities. We describe these budding capacities, explain their policy origins, and explore their future potential.

New Security Challenges and the Need for New Forms of EU Cooperation: The Solidarity Declaration against Terrorism and the Open Method of Coordination

Abstract The new transnational security threats, such as terrorism, challenge traditional methods of European Union cooperation. In the era of threats to inter-state peace the Union engendered security through ‘passive’ integration in the form of the abolition of European borders. Today the EU is increasingly given the responsibility for creating security and safety, both externally and internally, by the means of ‘active’ security instruments such as the European Security and Defence Policy and the Solidarity Declaration of 2004. The challenge is that these policies and principles require a vision beyond that of a free market, common threat perceptions and effective coordination of the crisis management capacity of EU member states. This article argues that the practical needs following this qualitative step, such as the strategic engagement of new security actors and levels of EU governance on a long term basis, are very similar to the ones that the Open Method of Coordination has attempted to resolve in EU cooperation in the field of welfare policies. It suggests that this method should be used also to strengthen the Union security policy and crisis management capacity.

The European Union’s Emerging Protection Space: Next Steps for Research and Practice

Abstract The European Union is making explicit moves towards protecting European citizens from threats. Those threats are no longer just military in nature, nor do they stem from well–defined sources. Today’s threat environment includes terrorist networks, new pathogens, critical infrastructure breakdowns, extreme weather and illegal immigration, to name only a few. Just as importantly, those threats cross sectors and countries without difficulty. The EU’s role in helping to combat those threats — and protecting European citizens from harm — is clear and growing. This concluding article of the special issue discusses the implications of this new policy space for theory and practice and highlights several areas in which future research can further enlighten understanding of European cooperation in this critical area.

Designing EU Crisis Management Capacities: Filling the Glass

The European Union (EU) has modest but promising capacities to assist member states overwhelmed by disaster through its Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU also routinely sends civil and military mi ...

What Can EU Civil Security Governance Learn from the Common Security and Defence Policy and the European Defence Agency

What Can EU Civil Security Governance Learn from the Common Security and Defence Policy and the European Defence Agency?

The European Union as Crisis Manager: Managing future crises

The watchwords ought to be: maximizing synergies and avoiding “hard” or artificial splits between how we handle EU internal and external crises. (Baroness Ashton 2010) The lesson of the past is that this is an area in which breakthroughs are often less than they seem, and in which the slow evolution of policy is more important than treaty provisions, declarations or individual agency. (Smith 2003: 563) From “mapping” to assessing EU crisis management capacities This book documents the emergence of the European Union as a multifaceted crisis manager. It describes the many crisis management capacities now available at the supranational level in Europe, including unique forms of cooperation, surprisingly effective decision procedures, organizations with special competences, and even a degree of operational capabilities. It is true that these capacities are scattered across the EUs institutional landscape. We had to search for some, as they were not designed with crisis management in mind. Some capacities are brand new; others are tried and tested. It is also true that some capacities have worked better than others. Taken together, we can say that the EU has developed a wide range of tools that enable the Union to play a role in a joint response to a variety of crises. The combined resources of 27 member states and the distinct competence the EU has developed over the years have made the EU a unique actor in the international crisis arena.