strategic situation and the operation of permanent structured cooperation as a european defense security instrument

Abstract

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) was already contemplated in the Lisbon Treaty. However, its activation began in December 2017 as a greater commitment to the defence of the States within the framework of the European Union, which would strengthen the Common Security and Defence Policy. PESCO increased investment in defence and military equipment and consists of armed forces from each Member State that are easily deployable for missions and operations, improving technological and industrial competitiveness. Despite this, and with France and Germany at the forefront of the European project, the participating members suffer from a common strategic culture that is caught between European strategic autonomy and compatibility with NATO. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the emergence of a military union seems more feasible to establish the necessary means of deterrence and action that would guarantee the neutralisation of future conflicts and threats from any actor, including the Russian threat. The objective of the work is to carry out an analysis of the political and regulatory situation in which the EU finds itself in terms of security and defence in order to determine the keys to its operation and its categorization as a global power on the international scene. It is necessary to highlight the relations with NATO and with third states within what would be the European and international security structure.