The task of this term’s legislators is to bring up uneasy, controversial debates and find practical solutions that will lay the foundation of Europe’s security for the decades to come.
Overview
We are publishing this issue of the Future Europe Journal in the first days of the 2024-2029 legislative term of the European Parliament. With the world changing at the speed of light and new challenges and threats emerging daily, only time will tell what issues and projects will mark these upcoming five years of the EU’s history. However, one thing is clear as day: defence and security have never been higher on the EU priorities list.
The past few years have put an end to all illusions. The initial shock and far-reaching repercussions of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine have caused wake-up moments and U-turns on both the national and European levels. The previous EU mandate has thus firmly brought the long-overdue issue of defence back to the discussion table. Yet, it is the task of this term’s legislators to set this agenda into motion: bring up uneasy controversial debates and find practical solutions that will lay the foundation of Europe’s security for the decades to come.
Anticipating the forthcoming debates on defence and security, this special issue aims to provide liberals with a go-to reference point on some of the most pressing dilemmas in these domains. The first bloc of contributions concerns the questions of strategy and geopolitics. The second section addresses the practicalities of defending Europe. The third section uncovers the implications of democratic decline and illiberal tendencies for the continent’s security.