European defence - debates in and about Poland and France: think tank publications 2017/2018

Abstract

In 2017, the foreign and defence ministers of almost all EU countries decided to estab­lish a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) for European Union defence policy. The debates at think tanks in EU Member States about this initiative show that expec­tations regarding a European defence architecture diverge widely and focus on very different issues. This is especially true for Poland and France. In Poland, European defence policy is primarily understood as a form of collective defence against Russia which needs to be integrated into the NATO framework. For France, on the other hand, risks to its very own security and that of Europe come primarily from its south­ern neighbours. This is why Paris attaches particular importance to the development of military intervention capabilities. These differing preferences of Germany’s two largest and most important neighbouring countries are reflected clearly in the scien­tific analyses and comments by European think tanks on questions of European arma­ments policy and the further integration of European defence policy. (Autorenreferat)