Security aspects of connectivity
Published in October 2018, the European Commission’s joint communication Connecting Europe and Asia – Building Blocks for an EU Strategy offers a good outline of the principles underlying the European […]
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
Commentaries
Commentary: An EU Security Council and a European Commissioner for Security and Defence: the final pieces of the Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy puzzle?
These last few years the EU has taken considerable steps to give more substance to its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Nearly all the pieces of the puzzle are […]
The power to engage: Giving punch to a new EU Global Strategy 2020
I like being a policy-oriented academic: you meet lots of interesting people and you are invited to interesting meetings, so you can really contribute to the debate. Some actors may […]
Reviving the Security Function: The EU’s Path to Save the JCPOA
Europe’s efforts to keep the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran alive hardly seem effective. On 28 June 2019, during a meeting of the Joint Commission of JCPOA, […]
Commentaries
Nuclear weapons in Belgium: calls for disarmament need to consider the impact on national security
Recent media coverage about the nuclear role of Kleine Brogel airbase has drawn attention to Belgium’s role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence. Meaningful political debate thereof needs to carefully consider the […]
An EU Security Council and a European Commissioner for Security and Defence: The Final Pieces of the Union’s Common Security & Defence Policy Puzzle?
These last few years the EU has taken considerable steps to give more substance to its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Nearly all the pieces of the puzzle are […]