A Rhetorical Spillover? Exploring the Link between the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and the External Dimension in EU Counterterrorism

The European Union (EU) counterterrorism policies have often been viewed through the prism of the EU's Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ). Yet although macro-strategic decision-making is mainly located within the Council's Secretariat and Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Ministers, its external dimension reserves a role for the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

This rhetorical 'spill-over' of an internal security concern onto the CSDP is an interesting yet under-researched development. This is partially due to the fact that CSDP is far from being one of the most developed aspects of the European counterterror response.Yet this occurs in a context where the need for an active use of CSDP as a counterterrorist tool is emphasized in high-level political proclamations.

This article will, therefore, aim to explain this disparity between EU discourse and reality. In addition, and building on recent debates in the field of terrorism studies, it provides a critical assessment of the conceptual foundations that link CSDP and Counter-terrorism (C-T) in the EU's discourse while evaluating the short- and medium-term potential for a more vigorous evolution of these policies.