The European Commission as an Actor in Security and Defence

In recent years, new Intergovernmentalism scholars have emphasized the triumph of intergovernmental decision making and have argued that the political will to delegate to the Commission has waned markedly post-Maastricht. Furthermore, they argue that EU Member States have empowered de novo bodies instead of the Commission (Bickerton et al, 2015). Smith (2015: 127-128) moreover describes the EU Member States’ strong reluctance to delegate power to the Commission within the field of security and defence. Yet, when the von der Leyen Commission took office in late 2019 a new DG Defence Industry and Space was created to undertake the responsibility to implement and oversee the new €13 billon European Defence Fund as well as the Military Mobility project. Overall, this constitutes a qualitative shift from the EU side and has been described by the Commission (2017) as a ‘game-changer for the EU’s strategic autonomy’. The new DG will also be responsible for the implementation of among other the Action Plan on Military Mobility and the future Space Programme, which consequently transforms the Commission’s role in the field. This article will thus focus on the European Commission as an ‘Actor’ in Security and Defence.