Understanding EU-NATO Cooperation

How Member-States Matter

Nele Marianne Ewers-Peters

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000516876
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: European History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book examines the development of cooperation between the EU and NATO, two key non-state actors in the European security architecture.

The work examines the relationship between the EU and NATO by focusing on the perspective of member states. Highlighting the relevance of member states' role in shaping EU-NATO relations, it conceptualises interorganisational cooperation and develops a typology of member states based on four types: advocates, blockers, balancers and neutrals. To apply this typology and analyse member states' specific roles, the analysis considers their foreign and security policy orientations, bilateral relationships with other member states, and contributions to both military operations, and division of labour between the two organisations. The book also examines states' use of political strategies -- such as forum-shopping, hostage-taking and brokering -- that influence the design, evolution and practicalities of cooperation between the EU and NATO.

This book will be of much interest to students of European Security and Defence Policy, international organisations, and security studies in general.

1Introduction

DOI: 10.4324/9781003170068-1

Since the end of the Cold War, Europe has found itself in the midst of simmering conflicts and crises in its near and wider neighbourhood. Increasing numbers of international actors have become involved in the crises that mark today’s security environment in Europe. An increasing number of international and regional organisations have been created including the UN, the NATO, the EU and the OSCE, who have all done their stint in securing Europe and its borders from external threats. Interestingly, states often prefer to create new organisations with overlapping functions and mandates in the same policy area instead of reforming the existing ones, thus adding to the growing proliferation of international and regional security organisations (Eilstrup-Sangiovanni 2020; Hofmann 2019). It would be naive to believe, however, that these organisations have the same share in contributing to peace, security and stability and that they maintain closer ties among each other. One salient example in which two overlapping organisations have forged exchanges and interactions in the Euro-Atlantic space is the relationship between the EU and NATO.

With the emergence and development of European capabilities and policies in the field of foreign, security and defence affairs through the introduction of the CFSP and CSDP in the Treaty of Maastricht in 1991, new questions of division of labour and institutional overlaps arose. What has been most striking is the question of why it has become necessary to create new structures and capacities alongside NATO’s already existing military planning structures and capabilities and how the co-existence of similar security organisations in Europe will look like – will they cooperate or compete with each other. In fact, not only do the EU and NATO cover a similar geographical scope and share common norms and values, but above all, they share a high degree of membership overlap: 21 of NATO’s 30 member states are also members of the EU. In addition, the two organisations have a similar origin: the idea to formalise cooperation among states in the Euro-Atlantic region to prevent future conflicts and deter new aggression in the aftermath of the Second World War.

In the study of international organisations and their interactions with each other in the same policy field, member states play a crucial role in designing, shaping and controlling the direction of external relationships. Inevitably, questions that arise from this perspective concern the position of states in interorganisational relations and their contribution to shaping and directing the EU–NATO relationship. What roles do member states take in the relationship between the EU and NATO in the area of foreign, security and defence affairs? What is more, considering the developments of the EU–NATO relationship since the end of the Cold War; how do member states contribute to the functionality and dysfunctionality of this particular relationship?

Even though the literature on EU–NATO cooperation to date has mushroomed to examine their relationship from different perspectives, including the historical developments, practical cooperation in crisis management operations, the institutional structures as well as competition (see, for example, de Wijk 2004; Duke 2008; Flockhart 2011; Gebhard and Smith 2015; Græger 2016; Græger and Haugevik 2011; Hofmann 2009; Howorth and Keeler 2003; Major and Mölling 2009; Muratore 2010; Ojanen 2006; Reichard 2006; Smith 2011; Whitman 2004), this literature does not put a greater emphasis on the role of member states in shaping the EU–NATO relationship. This book contributes to the ongoing debate on cooperation among international organisations in the field of foreign, security and defence policy by focusing on the EU–NATO relationship and the particular role of member states. The first aim is thus to contribute to the understanding of the evolution, structures and interactions of EU–NATO cooperation. The time frame of interest for this study is from the end of the Cold War in 1991 to 2021, covering three decades of the development of this particular relationship. While looking at this special interorganisational cooperation, the role of member states will be at the centre of attention. This research thus examines the means that member states have at their disposal to circumvent institutional and legal barriers to shape EU–NATO cooperation.

The second purpose of this book is to contribute to the advancement of the theoretical approaches to the study of interorganisational cooperation. Conceptualising and theorising interorganisational relations in the International Relations Scholarship went a long way, although neither a common approach nor a clear conceptualisation exists. The present theoretical framework takes into account existing understandings and conceptualisations of international cooperation and foreign and security policy orientation, while also considering different theoretical approaches, such as interorganisationalism, network theory and international regime complexity. Developing a set of features of interorganisational interaction then helps to develop the typology of member states in interorganisational relations, which facilitates the analysis of the EU–NATO relationship from the member state perspective.

Since the EU and NATO share a high degree of overlap in their membership and in their functions, mandates and security policies, as well as some complementary and inter-bureaucratic institutional structures, the question remains why the two organisations still do not get on the way one would expect them based on these overlaps. As argued in this book, the very reason for the dysfunctionality of the EU–NATO relationship, at least to some extent, is found in states’ behaviours, attitudes and approaches to using their membership in both organisations. While some states are outspoken supporters of the Atlantic Alliance – the so-called Atlanticists – others are labelled as Europeanists, that is, those favouring the EU’s approach to crisis management (Cornish and Edwards 2001: 589). Yet, this categorisation does not ultimately explain what role states actually play in EU–NATO cooperation. The endeavour to examine the role of member states is thus guided by the following questions: why and how do member states contribute to the (dys-)functionality of the EU–NATO interorganisational relationship? How do different national features shape member states’ roles and positions in the relationship between the EU and NATO? In this context, national features refer to member states’ historical experiences, domestic particularities and restraints, geopolitical location and military capabilities. Given that states have varying perceptions, positions, ambitions and capabilities as well as differences in their bilateral and minilateral relations with other member states, this research further addresses the question: how do states’ use of minilateral and bilateral relationships affect EU–NATO cooperation?

This book provides a new angle to the interorganisational relationship between the EU and NATO by exploring the different positions of member states. It argues that member states play a crucial role in steering and influencing the direction of the EU–NATO relationship based on their national attributes, foreign and security policy orientation and their partnerships with other member states in the Euro-Atlantic security community. States’ bilateral and minilateral relationships as well as inter-state tensions strongly impact the developments and evolution of this interorganisational relationship. The state of the art of their relationship and the degree of enhanced cooperation between these two international security organisations has been an achievement by their secretariats, by individual key players and by their member states. The EU–NATO relationship has so far not yet yielded in any further formalisation as challenges and obstacles are still observable, which are primarily created and maintained by member states. The goal of this book is, therefore, to illustrate how member states are guided by their political strategies and foreign and security policy orientations on the one hand and by their capabilities, relationships and active engagement in security and defence affairs within the respective international security organisations on the other hand. By examining the role of member states in the EU–NATO relationship, this book seeks to enhance the scholarly work in these fields of study by adding the perspective of member states to the analysis. To investigate the particular roles and contributions of member states, a broader understanding of the EU–NATO relationship is required. In order to do so, this introductory chapter pictures the historical and institutional developments of their relationship and highlights why member states need to receive greater considerations.

The EU–NATO relationship in perspective

The relationship between the EU and NATO has experienced many rollercoaster moments since the beginning of their interactions. While it has seen constant progress, there have also been periods of stagnation. Both Howorth (2009) and Flockhart (2014) even claim that their relationship was not only unsatisfactory but also dysfunctional, and therefore, ‘the political relationship between NATO and the EU requires careful thought and management’ (Moens 2003: 32). Their relationship has consequently been summarised by Flockhart (2014: 75) in the following:

In a nutshell, the EU-NATO relationship has been summarised as a relationship that has developed from parallel but separate existences during the Cold War, to intense interinstitutional rivalry during the 1990s, to a ‘strategic partnership’ defined by the EU-NATO Declaration on European Security and Defence Policy in 2002, but ending ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Acknowledgements
• List of abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Theorising member states in interorganisational relations
• 3 Advocates: The UK, the US, BeNeLux, the Baltics and Central and Eastern European States
• 4 Blockers: France, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland and Turkey
• 5 Balancers: Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain
• 6 Neutrals: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Malta and Sweden
• 7 Conclusion and implications
• Appendix A: List of interviews
• Appendix B: List of official documents and strategic security and defence papers
• Appendix C: Overview of member states’ participation and contributions to EU-led and NATO-led military operations
• Index