ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore elements of what we claim is the European Union’s (EU) shared strategy. A shared strategy can be seen as the link between security policy and a shared defense policy, as it translates goals to means and resources. Too often, the discussion of the EU as a strategic actor ends up in divergent views concerning the existence or feasibility of a ‘common’ policy. The establishment of a security and defense sub-system within the EU was indeed characterized by a lack of a common strategy. The EU Security Strategy that was adopted in 2003 has been questioned with respect to its strategic qualities (compare Hyde-Price in Chapter 9 of this volume). We therefore suggest that an analysis of EU strategy, as well as EU defense policy, as ‘shared’ (rather than common) can achieve a better understanding of the current linkages between foreign, security, and defense policy-making in the European polity. By introducing a new terminology that escapes deep dividing lines between approaches pitting ‘common’ features against national ones, we believe one may also achieve a more nuanced discussion of the strategic characteristics of EU action. One implication of this is that in order to fully comprehend EU shared strategy, both member states’ strategies and EU strategy would need to be analyzed. This means that a limitation of this chapter is that it, as a first step in the analysis of shared strategy, concentrates on shared strategy found at the EU level. The concept of shared policy and strategy could also be a way to fruitfully analyze the EU as a composite actor, mentioned by Engelbrekt in Chapter 1. For instance, Biscop (2002) has identified a comprehensive and cooperative approach to security in a variety of different EU policies and states that they together might ‘constitute an innovative strategic framework for the ESDP’ (Biscop, 2002: 489).
