Commentaries
Get rid of reassurance
In this article, Sven Biscop makes a strong plea for Europeans to get rid of the mind-set of dependence and reassurance and to take charge of stabilising their own neighbourhood.
Europe in the World
In a world that is largely driven by competition and rivalry (and partnership, yet) between great powers, understanding the Grand Strategy of each of these powers is crucial. So is developing a Grand Strategy for the EU itself. An EU that acts as one, as one pole of the multipolar world on a par with the other powers, is the only way to safeguard the way of life that the Member States of the EU have chosen, based on democracy, the free market, and equality.
Power cannot be divided: a global player must have political, economic, as well as military power. To that end, the Europe in the World Programme analyses the diplomacy and defence of the US, China, and Russia, and of the EU, NATO, and their members. We also focus on geoeconomics, researching Open Strategic Autonomy and the Global Gateway as key EU instruments, as well as the geoeconomic approaches of the other powers.
Defence policy is our third main axis of research, with a particular focus on European defence and its interaction with NATO, but also on nuclear deterrence and the deterrence of hybrid threats. Throughout all three research axis, we devote special attention to the role of Belgium, including notably the development of its own National Security Strategy and diplomatic and military capabilities.
Publications
External publications
Still on the defensive: European military integration in 2015
In his contribution to the Jahresvorschau 2015 of the Austrian Ministry of Defence Sven Biscop looks forward to what 2015 might bring in terms of defence cooperation between Europeans.
Wales, to spur on European defence
In his contribution to this strategic dossier of the Institute de Recherche Stratégique de l’Ecole Militaire (IRSEM, Paris), Jo Coelmont outlines what NATO’s Wales Summit means for European defence.
The nuclear safety framework in the European Union after Fukushima
On 11 March 2011, a devastating earthquake struck Japan and caused a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The disaster confirmed that nuclear reactors must be protected even against […]
Books
What are the missing instruments to reach another level of European defence?
In his contribution to “10 Years of Working Together”, the book published by the European Defence Agency (EDA) to mark its tenth anniversary, Jo Coelmont looks at the Agency as […]
2014: a centenary and a discovery
It is almost as if engaging in war is easier than thinking about war. In the year of the commemoration of the First World War, Europe is facing several wars on its borders, and […]