Non-State Actors in the European Security Framework

Abstract

The Russian war against Ukraine has fundamentally challenged the post-Cold War expectations of a stable, rules-based European order. As the European Union attempts to redefine its role as a geopolitical actor, the state-centric international system is increasingly challenged by contested territories. This panel, organized within the framework of COST Action CA23129 (Peace Research Community Europe), Working Group 5 (Europe, Peace & Security), explores the new realities and dynamics of the newly emerging European security architecture challenged by non-state actors. The panel contributions explore the fragmentation of the European security order at various levels. Mahmutaj critiques the EU’s shift toward a security-oriented enlargement policy in the Western Balkans, arguing that the EU enlargement has become a “tool of geopolitical resilience”. Kayhan Pusane, on the other hand, contrasts the EU’s normative policy of "engagement without recognition" in Kosovo with Turkey’s strategic capacity building, demonstrating how non-EU rising powers in Europe are reshaping the European security order. While Fetahu analyzes the 2023 Banjska clashes to show how non-state armed actors exploit “grey zones” of governance to undermine governmental legitimacy, Papcunova discusses how NGOs have replaced state functions in managing the integration of Ukrainian refugees in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. Collectively, this panel presents a framework which challenges the notion of a unified European security architecture, suggesting instead a more complex ecosystem where traditional security perspectives and practices are increasingly challenged by non-state actors.

Title	Details
Non-State Actors and Everyday Security: NGOs and the Integration of Ukrainian Refugees in Central and Eastern Europe	View Paper Details
The Western Balkans in Focus: How the War in Ukraine Turns Enlargement into a Security-Centred Approach	View Paper Details
Conflict Management Vs. Strategic Capacity Building: A Comparative Analysis of EU and Turkish Approaches to Kosovo	View Paper Details
The Banjska Case (2023): Lessons for State-Building and Institutional Integration in Northern Kosovo	View Paper Details