The trouble with PESCO. The mirages of European defence
The trouble with PESCO. The mirages of European defence

Author(s): Justyna Gotkowska
Contributor(s): Jim Todd (Translator)
Subject(s): Governance, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, Geopolitics
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: PESCO; Permanent Structured Cooperation; common security and defence policy; European Union; trans-Atlantic relations; military policy;
Summary/Abstract: The creation of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in December 2017 crowned the series of recent debates and actions aimed at strengthening the common security and defence policy of the EU. However, the compromise around PESCO has revealed strategic divergences among France, Germany and the countries on the eastern flank related to the perceptions of threats and challenges, the development of the EU’s security and defence policy, and the future of trans-Atlantic relations. The debates on PESCO in Western Europe have also highlighted a growing gap between the political narratives and military reality.

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