The strategic autonomy of the European Union beyond security and defence: securing supply chains and enhancing connectivity

Abstract

This article explores the rise of strategic autonomy of the European Union (EU) with a view beyond security and defence. In particular, this article provides evidence about the presence of a distinct and emerging characterisation of the concept: strategic autonomy as a set of practices to secure favourable dependencies and curb unfavourable ones. Drawing on different formulations of the concept and a type of characterisation of the strategic environment that is gaining momentum at the EU level in terms of vulnerabilities, dependencies and connectivity, this article identifies three policy areas that have experienced growing concern in the field of EU external action: the security of supply chains, the EU's global connectivity agenda and the development of defence industrial initiatives. The hypothesis is that the development of these three policy areas in the context of this rhetoric on vulnerabilities and the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, provide evidence about the presence of a formulation of the EU strategic autonomy as a set of strategies and programmes to identify, prioritise and secure favourable dependencies and to identify, prioritise and curb unfavourable dependencies.