The EU and the Sea

In a new brief, DIIS researcher Jessica Larsen discusses the EU’s security profile by examining the EU’s experiences with counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia since 2008. On the one hand, the brief finds that the EU generally stands as an agile, broad and legitimate responder in this maritime operation. On the other hand, the brief argues that the EU does not acknowledge in its maritime strategy and operations the rising political tensions at sea that go beyond combatting crime, such as recent naval activity by China and Russia in various maritime domains of European strategic interest. Defining a posture and acting accordingly is necessary, if the EU wishes to maintain its positive profile.

The motivation behind the brief is the EU’s launch of a range of new initiatives in recent years within security and defence, where past experiences from the maritime domain can help identify its strengths and weaknesses, as the EU works towards further increasing its cooperation on security and defence policy.

The brief is published by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA). DIIS is a member of TEPSA and contributes with analyses on EU foreign policy.