European Union Foreign and Security Policy Facing Internal Upheavals and Hybrid Threats: Can Security Needs Improve European Identity?

Paper Proposal |ECPR General Conference 2018, Hamburg Section number | S29, Global Constraints, External Crises, Internal Challenges: what Future for the EU’s Security? Panel Chair | Claudia Morsut Panel Co-Chair | Rosa Rossi Presenter name | Daniela Fisichella Presenter institution |University of Catania, Italy Presenter email | fisidan@unict.it Daniela Fisichella Born to pursue the internal market goal and its fundamental freedoms, European Union (EU) is currently coming up against some serious challenges, like pending Brexit, Trump administration in U.S., push for independence (Catalonia) and a spread adverse attitude of some Member States (Poland, Hungary). Moreover, external relations are troubled by conflicts outside Europe and tensions inside (Russia, Turkey controversial role) while internal security is severely threatened either by social and religious radicalization, up to terrorist attacks, and by huge migration flows. Internal and external challenges are blurring within a European holistic approach to foreign, security and defence policy (CFSP, CSDP): now more than ever a multilateral engagement is needed on a multi-layered action. Consistently, EU Global Strategy (Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe) launched in June 2016 is now strengthened by PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation), an enhanced cooperation among 25 Member States - out of Malta, Denmark and UK - relied on Articles 42(6) and 46 of EU Treaty, as well as Protocol 10. Provided by Lisbon Treaty provisions, this new age in CFSP includes both civilian and military endeavours and is conducive to revisit NATO relations. Notwithstanding Euroscepticism and some uncovered oppositions, the new legal and operational framework seems to be able to stressing a stronger European identity, made apparent by its policies on these issues not less than on economic and financial ones. Even though European integration is not leaded by a strong foreign and security policy, not originally ruled by EU Treaties and introduced only further, external relations are driving a broad cooperation not restricted to economic issues and reinforcing strategic relations among Member States. In this perspective, European identity could be entrenched by a more decisive CFSP, helpful to spread a positive attitude towards EU in order to deal with current upheavals and to make it adapting itself to changes to be expected. As long as security is a most sensitive issue for EU Member States as well as for their citizens, a powerful identity definitely increases European integration. Nobody can foresee what’s going to happen after Brexit and how UK and EU cooperation in foreign and security policy will be shaped, believing less likely a UK autonomous policy or a NATO partnership only. As every International Organization, EU should not fear to change, since any transition can bring with it improved transformation. Accordingly, at present internal and external challenges taken together could lead either to crisis scenario or to proper adjustments among stakeholders, both concurring to European internal stability and to external security at the same time.