Foreign and Security Policy

Abstract

Thomas Sowell said that “reality does not go away when it is ignored”. The reality around Europe is changing rapidly, and EU foreign and security policy has to adapt to those changes. New security threats, power shifting from the Western world to Asia or from nation states to non-state actors, and the increasingly global character of all major challenges that Europe is to face in the next decade are forcing the EU to reform. This chapter sketches out a plan of reform around four topics: 1. Sources of European power; 2. Projection of European values; 3. European security: Comprehensive approach and strategic sovereignty; 4. Going beyond the neighbourhood – The EU as a truly global actor. These topics were chosen on the basis of public discussions during the Expert Forum held online by the European Liberal Forum in October 2020. The chapter is structured as follows. The first part briefly presents the current state of affairs, identifying major problems to be solved. The second part analyses three possible scenarios of EU foreign and security policy development—from sailing where the wind blows to executing fundamental changes in line with the liberal agenda. The final part outlines the set of policy recommendations for the preferred scenario of deep and far-reaching reforms.