Capacity Building in and with the Neighbourhood in the Context of EU Enlargement

After Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, the link between the European Union’s enlargement and security policies has become more apparent. This InvigoratEU report builds on two key observations: firstly, the EU’s future enlargement is integral to its security policies; secondly, effective security policies in the EU’s current neighborhoods are essential for successful enlargement. The development of the EU’s security political role can be studied through three key contexts: the geopolitical crises the EU has responded to; the evolving network of European security institutions; and the internal political dynamics among member states. These dimensions have shaped the EU’s security and defence policies, institutions, and strategic approach to crises and conflicts. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine 2022 shook all these three contexts: there was a need to respond to a full-scale war in Europe, in a context where the pillars of European security architecture were shifting, with the war having varied implications for its 27 members. As a result, some existing trends in the EU’s security role were consolidated, including the ambition to become a more credible partner and to focus more on military matters. A level of joint understanding among the member states concerning the needed policy response and the desired role for the EU opened new windows of opportunity for joint action, particularly concerning activities with a military dimension in the Eastern neighbourhood. While disagreements have started to re-emerge, the war response did not remain a one-time exercise but has already profoundly shaped the EU’s security-political role. Importantly, the EU is now more capable of addressing security needs of its partners, including the candidate countries. The implications extend beyond Ukraine: the EU’s new approach to capacity building is already being applied in the wider neighbourhood as well as internally. The report addresses the EU’s security political role in connection to the EU's enlargement and as one shaped by the crises, conflicts, and demands of its neighbourhoods. In this context, the watershed moment of 2022 in the EU’s enlargement and security policies is understood as emerging in response to the needs of and in cooperation with its partners in the Eastern neighbourhood. Secondly, the paper examines the EU’s role in capacity building in particular, finding it as an assignment that results from the division of labour with NATO and the overall context of the European security architecture. Finally, the report provides recommendations on how the EU can contribute to comprehensive security in the European neighbourhoods and address topical challenges through its evolving security and enlargement policies. The report is part of the Horizon 2020 funded InvigoratEU research project.