The EU and NATO

Today there is a growing recognition that enhanced cooperation between the EU and NATO is indispensable to facilitate an effective and multidimensional response to contemporary security threats. Calibrating such cooperation, however, has not always been an easy task. The political context, as well as inter-institutional rivalry, have often hampered both organisations’ capacity to work together.

However, a momentum for renewed cooperation between NATO and the EU has emerged over the last few years, with the signing of the 2016 and 2018 Joint Declarations. In the light of these developments, the EU Institute for Security Studies and the Research Division of the NATO Defense College have joined forces to examine NATO-EU cooperation from a variety of angles. Specifically, this publication analyses interaction between both organisations by focusing on the main areas of cooperation identified in the two Joint Declarations.

What the EU and NATO have achieved since 2016 should not be underestimated. Obstacles are real, yet there is an on-going socialisation process across both organisations that needs to be considered from a long-term perspective. Current efforts may not deliver concrete results in the coming months, but through a ‘process of continuous engagement’ inter-organisational cooperation will be facilitated over the longer term.