Two tiers or two speeds. The European security order and the enlargement of the European Union and NATO

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Abstract:

The sudden transformation of the Cold War security order in 1989 altered the structure of the European state system, and now necessitates the striking of a new balance between the economic, political and military requirements of security. This volume focuses on the most important institutions of European security, the European Union and NATO. Both institutions are expanding, especially eastwards, in terms of their respective roles and membership.

The book considers four issues attending enlargement that could conceivably defer or even derail the first enlargement of the EU and a second enlargement of NATO: accommodating existing decision-making rules and institutions; constructing a European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) compatible with NATO and the EU; mitigating the adverse strategic consequences of enlargement; and coping with the budgetary and financial costs attending enlargement. The introduction provides a rationale for considering the EU and NATO enlargements in a single volume. Chapters 2 and 6 focus on the internal adaptation of the decision-making process in the EU and NATO respectively. Chapters 3 and 7 examine the impact enlargement will have on the evolution of the European Security and Defence Identity. Chapters 4 and 8 consider the strategic consequences of enlargement and chapters 5 and 9 assess the budgetary implications of enlargement for the EU and NATO. The conclusion examines the requirements of a stable security order, particularly the problem of legitimacy and the institutional options facing the western states in the construction of that order. From the essays, it emerges that NATO enlargement has been a relatively swift and painless process because there have been no compelling reasons not to proceed. EU enlargement, however, will remain a tortuous process with an uncertain outcome owing to an array of institutional, financial and political liabilities of the accession states and constraints within the EU.

This volume will be of interest to graduate students of European politics, European security or international relations, and to academics and policy makers tracking the enlargement of either institution.