Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and the Europeanisation of the EU Member States Armed Forces: The EU Battlegroup Concept

The paper addresses the question of Europeanization of the EU Member States armed forces in the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy of the EU (CSDP). To what extent is there a Europeanization of the EU Member States armed forces? Can we talk about the emergence of a more integrated national armed forces which could to a certain degree function as the nucleus of the project of Europe de la défense? The paper seeks to answer these questions through the analysis of the EU Battlegroup concept, which is seen as a core instrument for the development of more integrated CSDP. As a part of the CSDP, the Battlegroup concept provides a valuable opportunity for enhanced military cooperation and interoperability among EU Members States, and more generally, acts as a driver for the necessary transformation of the national armed forces. The paper starts with the analysis of the concept of Europeanization, including the theoretical debate on Europeanization in defence sector. It is argued that the domain of security and defence corresponds to the so-called "framing" integration, that is the weakest form of integration, and therefore is based on "framing logic" of Europeanization, i.e. cognitive logic followed by changing the beliefs and expectations of domestic actors which in turn may affect their strategies and preferences, potentially leading to institutional adaptations. The paper then focuses on the analysis of the EU Battlegroup concept and its added-value for more integrated CSDP, notably in the light of force modernization within EU members and the enhanced military cooperation and interoperability among Member States through joint planning, training and exercises. In the following section, the main political and operational obstacles that limit the Europeanization of the Battlegroup concept will be analysed, hindering so far the deployment of the EU Battlegroups. Finally, the paper tackles the question of the perspective of the Battlegroup concept in the light of the new initiatives taken at the EU level (PESCO, EU Global Strategy, EDF, MCRR). The author concludes that the "framing logic" of Europeanization led to the Europeanization of the EU Member States armed forces through the EU Battlegroup concept. Moreover, in the light of new initiatives taken at the EU level, the "framing logic" of Europeanization of CSDP in general is more likely to lead to more Europeanized EU Battlegroup concept as a part of "comprehensive" strategic approach of the EU than to its "NATO-ization".