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OPINION MAY 26, 2023 | The Indian Eye 12

the UN, regional organizations like
the African Union and ASEAN and
Common Security and Defense Pol-
icy (CSDP) missions for crisis man-
agement and stabilization, the EU’s
evolving association with NATO re-
mains the most pronounced.
The January 2023 EU–NATO
Joint Declaration ramps up this as-
sociation with a sharper focus on
Climate Change, Space, Artificial
Intelligence, emerging and disruptive
tech. The declaration promises deep-
er engagement with a broad-spec-
trum range of security concerns. It
condemns the actions on Russia and
is mindful of the need to address
China’s growing assertiveness and
policies. The document endorses
NATO’s Strategic Concept and the
EU’s strategic Compass and calls for
forging a deeper EU–NATO cooper-
ation.
The joint statement recogniz-
es the value of a strong and a more
capable European Defense that is
‘complementary to’ and ‘interoper- For a bloc that functions on consensus of its 27 members states, it is an uphill task to co-develop norms around emerging threats both within
able with’ NATO. It also recognizes
the need to take the transatlantic al- and globally in a cost and time effective manner (File photo)
liance beyond Europe with a smart
combination of political, economic Ukrainian troops in 2023 and recent- and its member states. Hybrid threats politics’—a belief that a problem left
and military instruments that the two ly formed consensus on sending one combine military and non-military as unattended will go away by itself —can
alliances have at their disposal. It million ammunition shells to Kyiv. well as covert and overt means, in- no longer work with EU’s China poli-
further develops the idea of the ex- The second tool is to foster bet- cluding disinformation, cyber-attacks, cy. But the ‘de-risking’ has to operate
pansion of the transatlantic security ter dialogues and consultations with economic pressure, and deployment in the real world to prove its resilience
theatre into other geopolitical arenas, key partners. In line with emerging of irregular armed groups and use of and strength in getting the right blend
namely the Indo-Pacific. security domains, such engagement regular forces. of containment and engagement.
More and more members of EU is to be furthered through EU’s new It also entails the development The era of the peace dividend
and NATO are becoming common Space Strategy and an updated Mari- of the Foreign Information Manip- is over for Europe. As the war in
to each other. The increase in over- time Strategy. On 10 March 2023, the ulation and Interference Toolbox Ukraine continues, the bloc’s evolv-
lapping membership with Finland al- bloc adopted the first ever EU space (‘FIMI toolbox’), which will strength- ing China policy is still ambiguous in
ready in NATO, Sweden next in line strategy. It is based on four pillars of en EU’s ability to detect, analyse effect. The continent stands on an in-
and Denmark incorporated fully into ensuring shared understanding, en- and respond to the threat, includ- flection point. The policies endorsed
Common Security and Defense Poli- hancing resilience, developing dual ing by imposing costs on perpetra- at the Schuman Forum will have to
cy (CSDP) , shows that the combined use capabilities and fostering glob- tors. One of the earliest tests for the operate along the two verticals sepa-
heft of the two is slated to grow. al partnerships. This strategy would EUHT will relate to EU’s support rately as well in complementarity to
The second vertical is the quest draw on pooling member states space for Moldova. The ex-Soviet state save the continent from the risks of
for achieving more strategic autono- capabilities, space situational aware- has claimed to be under a hybrid de-linked security landscape. For the
my. While this has been the mantra in ness and intelligence. threat from Russia and looks for- EU, a viable security solution and a
inner discussions within the EU parlia- The same formula has been ward to building collective approach global security posture will have to re-
ment and Commission for a few years, applied to utilizing member states’ to resilience with the help of EUHT. link Europe’s security concerns with
especially after President Emmanuel deployments in the maritime do- For a bloc that functions on con- equally viable instruments that have
Macron rose to prominence in the main under the EU’s Coordinated sensus of its 27 members states, it is support from within and without.
bloc, the war in Ukraine has pushed Maritime Presence. The objective an uphill task to co-develop norms
it to become a ‘performative’ in the of CMP is to enable the bloc gain a around emerging threats both within Dr Swasti Rao is Associate Fellow at
true sense. Discussed below are some more prominent global maritime and globally in a cost and time effec- Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense
characteristics of the performative presence. The way to do so is by de- tive manner. France’s and Germany’s Studies and Analyses
aspect of EU’s strategic autonomy: ploying member state’s maritime and nuanced approach towards Russia Views expressed are of the author and
The military support aspect has air assets on a voluntary basis. has been often cited as a caveat to-
do not necessarily reflect the views of
been best elucidated in EPF’s support Thirdly, since the above-men- wards sustaining EU’s unity vis-à-vis the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
to Ukraine. EU High Representative tioned initiatives are aimed at coun- Ukraine in the long run. The bigger Government of India.
Josep Borrel has also asserted that tering emerging threats, they do get European economies’ proposition to
the EPF is a truly global instrument a further push from the new EU China has already become a complex This is an abridged version of the article
and not limited to Ukraine, thereby hybrid toolbox (EUHT) that was in- terrain of balancing de-risking with which first appeared in the Comments
signaling the adoption of next military troduced a few months after the war trade benefits. With Beijing, Brus- section of the website (www.idsa.in) of
help to Niger and Somalia. What gives in Ukraine. EUHT provides a frame- sels is paying the price of ignoring Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense
more credibility to EPF is that EU is work for a coordinated response to geopolitical risks and focusing on Studies and Analyses, New Delhi on
providing military training to 30,000 hybrid campaigns affecting the EU economic engagement. The ‘Voodoo May 9, 2023

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