Fragmentation and differentiated integration in EU defence policy
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article analyses the structural and political factors constraining deeper integration in the European Union’s security and defence policy after 2014, particularly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The article argues that the principal obstacle to deeper defence integration is not insufficient military capability, but the persistence of political, strategic, and defence-industrial fragmentation among member states. The study applies a concept- driven qualitative analysis combining comparative political analysis, political economy, and European integration studies. It examines divergent strategic cultures, fragmented defence-industrial structures, and the institutional limitations of major EU defence initiatives. The analysis demonstrates that geopolitical pressure has accelerated defence cooperation without fundamentally overcoming intergovernmentalism or national strategic divergence. Consequently, contemporary EU defence integration is interpreted as a process of differentiated and politically contested integration rather than a linear transition towards a unified European defence union.
Source: Journal of comparative politics
Author: Horak, Roman
Institution: University of Defence
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7166350813