The EU — A Capable Security Actor? Developing Administrative Capabilities

Abstract: There is a large literature claiming that the EU has become an important international security actor. While this literature focuses on the political will and the ambitions of the EU, there has been less attention paid to the actual capabilities at the disposal for the EU. Any political organization needs some kind of relationship between aspirations and capabilities. If the EU is to be considered as an important security actor, we should also expect a certain degree of administrative capability in this policy area. Increased importance of the EU as a security actor would also imply increased capabilities. This article makes three contributions. First, by drawing upon insights from institutional theory it presents a conceptual scheme for analyzing the dynamics of capabilities and assessing distinct configurations of capabilities. Secondly, it makes an empirical account of the development of capabilities in the EU in the field of security policy. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion on the relationship between this specific capability configuration in the EU and its role as a security actor.