DE

EU Enlargement
Advancing EU Enlargement for a Safer Europe

In the new EU Commission, liberals are well positioned to pursue these opportunities
LYMEC Members in a Side Session
© LYMEC

Ahead of LYMEC’s Autumn Congress in Warsaw earlier this month, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation For Freedom's Global Security Hub hosted a fringe event discussing the close links between the enlargement of the European Union (EU) and the security of the wider European continent. For both EU and non-EU states alike, enlarging the Union presents various opportunities to strengthen cooperation on security and defence and build a continent that can face the growing number of global and regional security threats.

The fact that this fringe event took place a few days after the US presidential elections highlighted the necessity of the event’s discussion. As the need for Europe to stand on its own two feet and develop security autonomy is likely to become even more pertinent under a second Trump administration. For this reason, it was even more valuable to hear the contributions of our colleagues from Ukraine and Romania and they discussed the challenges and opportunities of enlargement within Eastern Europe.

Topics of discussion understandably revolved around the existential threat of Russian aggression. Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine turns cities to rubble and leaves civilians uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. Whilst the Russian government seeks to destabilise European states through hybrid attacks, such as manipulating energy dependency and spreading misinformation and disinformation on an industrial scale. However, throughout the event, a wide range of themes were touched upon by the participants, and the audience questions added to this wide scope to an even greater degree.

The issue of security touches a wide array of policy areas. Providing security and creating a safe and stable society, safeguarded from threats, is the central purpose of any government; and this task inevitably calls upon various areas of policy that, at first, seem unrelated until viewed within the lens of security. Critical scholars such as Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver were amongst the first to reference this phenomenon in the 1990’s. As they discussed the way in which security was ‘deepening’ and ‘widening’ to draw in wider life outside of the conventional military perspective. Whilst attention has grown on the political factors underpinning security matters, security experts now also recognise the importance of hybrid security threats that do not necessarily involve state militares, as illustrated by the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In this regard, this is another way in which security and EU enlargement are alike, as the complex process of acceding to the EU  eventually touches all aspects of politics, economics, and society.

The Security Value of Enlargement 

The enlargement of the EU and the security of European nations are, at their heart, complementary initiatives. As the old adage goes, a problem shared is a problem halved; and the value of enlargement means that an increasing number of member states are able to pool resources and better address the factors that impact their collective security. Whether that be in the realm of military cooperation or alignment around environmental, energy, or economic security issues

Whilst NATO provides a perfectly viable forum for key discussions related to the standardisation of weapons and strategic doctrine, investment in defence, and other conventional security matters, hybrid defence can not be a task for NATO alone. The EU provides a crucial space for European states to cooperate on the factors that influence the wider security agenda. Allowing states to not only adopt a more holistic approach to security, but also pre-empt and avoid security challenges before they become threats. 

A good example of this lies within the area of environmental security. In the face of rising sea-levels, the increasing severity of storms and natural disasters, and the mass displacement of people from areas made inhospitable by rising temperatures, the broad threat of climate breakdown has become increasingly pertinent as a security issue

However, these emerging complex threats to national security will not be managed through military means alone. And the global nature of these threats means national action alone will struggle to mitigate the complexity of emerging challenges such as these. Ultimately, it will require a comprehensive shift in policy, industry, and society to increase resilience against these non-military threats, and so forums such as NATO can only go so far in managing these wider security issues. 

To refer back to the previous example of environmental security, this threat will inevitably be managed in various ways outside the military realm. Whether that be by implementing industrial measures to mitigate climate change across the European continent, working with civil society organisations to ensure communities are better prepared for natural disasters, or ensuring a just transition to a net-zero economy which secures democratic support for climate action. There are many ways in which the EU can act to support member states to better manage novel security threats such as climate breakdown.

Enlargement not only increases the number of states who benefit from broader European action on emerging security threats. The more states who accede to the Union, the greater the impact of the EU’s efforts to address these novel challenges. Standardising military equipment across Europe is a key factor to enabling greater military cooperation between European states within NATO, and a similar thing can be said for statutory and political alignment within the EU. 

By aligning regulations, initiatives, and protocols around issues within the broader security agenda, the EU facilitates closer cooperation between member states on various non-military security threats; especially those threats with an inherent transnational character, such as climate breakdown, disinformation, and organised crime. In this sense, the wider benefits to security of a larger EU certainly outweigh any potential challenges that may emerge from enlargement.

The Role of Liberals in the New Commission

As was said at the start of last weekend’s event, enlargement should not be regarded as a technical matter. Instead it is, at its core, a political issue. In this way, we should be thankful that the portfolios assigned to liberals and democrats within the commission allow them to develop a comprehensive strategy for enlargement. 

On the face of it, this link seems relatively obvious. With Kaja Kallas of Estonia being put forward as the next High Representative/Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security, and Marta Kos of Slovenia virtually guaranteed to become the Commissioner for Enlargement, it is sensible to expect that the Commission will approach the issues of enlargement and security from a similar political perspective. Sharing many assumptions which should ease the extent to which these policy areas can be intertwined. However, as was discussed above, the widening of the security agenda and emergence of non-military threats means that other areas of policy are fundamentally linked with delivering the security value of enlargement.

Key amongst these are the EU’s ability to prepare for environmental disasters and manage regional crises, the EU’s capacity to adapt its industry to emerging security challenges, and the EU’s potential to assert its values of democracy and safeguard the rule of law against concerted disinformation campaigns from hostile actors. All of these areas of policy will play an essential role in enabling the EU and its member states to adapt in the face of an increasingly insecure world within threats of growing complexity.

However, these areas have another thing in common – Each one will also be overseen by a commissioner drawn from the ranks of the assorted liberals and democrats of Europe. Hadja Lahbib of Belgium has been put forward as the Commissioner-Designate for Preparedness and Crisis Management and for Equality; alongside Michael McGrath of the Republic of Ireland as Commissioner-Designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law. Whilst President von der Leyen has tapped Stéphane Séjourné of France to be the next Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. 

Therefore, not only is there potential for directional alignment on the issues of enlargement and security under the watchful gaze of Kallas and Kos. These other commissioners-designate also have a role to play in ensuring that these key aspects of the EU complement the goal of a secure Europe through their ability to support and enable greater enlargement and connect it to the practical policy of tackling non-military threats to European security. It is reassuring that these five commissioners-designate, who will hopefully draw on their liberal and democratic principles when delivering on the best interests of all EU citizens, have been assigned portfolios that align with many areas touched by the widening and deepening security agenda.

We should wish that the liberals and democrats of the incoming College of Commissioners recognise the fortuitous combination of their collective portfolios. Working in tandem with the rest of the new Commission to ensure that a renewed approach to enlargement articulates the security of Europeans as its central goal. Preparedness, Industry, and Democracy are all at the heart of addressing key challenges to the wider security of Europe. And it goes without saying that non-military threats to security pose a risk to Equality, Prosperity, and Justice across the EU; emphasising the political importance of taking security seriously in all areas of Europe.

High-level strategic conversations between the cabinets of Commissioners-designate Kallas and Kos would be a welcome first step. As it would recognise the positive multiplier effect that enlargement will have in the EU’s ability to provide security to the European continent and its neighbourhood. However, further engagement with the other liberal-minded voices of the incoming commission would also send positive signals on matters of security and help build a consensus on this issue. One which acknowledges the EU’s unique ability to inform and affect European action on the growing number of security threats. Especially those which sit outside the realm of military matters and which require holistic strategic approaches within readiness, industry, and protecting the rule of law.

About the author: Rowan Fitton is Co-International Officer for the Young Liberals UK and Co-Editor in Chief of Libertas, the official magazine of LYMEC-European Liberal Youth. He is currently based in Manchester, UK and is an active member of the Liberal Democrats, as he works to promote liberal politics across Northern England and restore the UK's relationship with Europe. As a graduate of both Queen's University Belfast and Durham University, Rowan holds two degrees in peace and conflict studies and has a keen interest in the human aspect of security and the politics of peace processes. He is currently working to secure a place on a PhD programme researching changes to political identity in post-conflict societies.