Was the End of the Cold War a Driver Toward Integration of the EU Security and Defense Policy?

This chapter seeks to evaluate the impacts of the 2008 financial crisis in the integration of European defense policies. The 2008 financial crisis has been a turning point for Europe. The crisis in Europe, known as the Eurocrisis, has had a direct impact on the behavior of EU Member States in the realm of defense. Since the early moments of the financial crisis EU Member States have considerably cut their defense expenditures. The 2008 financial crisis has directly impacted the abilities of Paris and London to not only maintain the level of protection offered by the welfare state, but they have had to address the unsustainable level of their budget deficits. Theoretically, as informed by neoliberalism, the crisis should be an engine fostering the integration process in security and defense policies. This argument of a multi-speed Europe is already being discussed regarding the future of the Union between the members of the Eurozone and the non-Eurozone members.