The European Defence Agency and the Member States: Public and Hidden Transcripts

Abstract:

The European Defence Agency (EDA) was founded in 2004 with the aim of improving the EU’s defence capabilities through promoting collaboration, common initiatives, and innovative solutions to the EU’s security needs. This article examines the nature of the relationship between European Union Member States and the EDA a decade after its founding. The agency has solidified a clear body of norms that it seeks Member States to implement. To a surprising extent, Member States have publically embraced these norms as necessary for the future viability of European security. But they at the same time resist implementing these norms in certain fundamental ways.

Building upon the framework article of this special issue, the author applies the concepts of ‘public’ and ‘hidden’ transcripts to shed light on how Member States simultaneously embrace and resist norms in a climate of supranational pressure.