UNITY UNDER PRESSURE: THE EUROPEAN UNION’S FOREIGN POLICY AFTER 24 FEBRUARY 2022

Authors

  • Vasil Georgiev Academy of National and Information Security

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54658/ps.28153324.2026.16.2.pp.64-75

Keywords:

CFSP, European Union, strategic autonomy, foreign policy, European security, veto power, variable geometry

Abstract

This article examines the dynamics of European foreign policy unity after February 24, 2022. The main question is whether the unity demonstrated after the Russian aggression against Ukraine represents a sustainable institutional consolidation or a temporary mobilization under the pressure of a crisis. The study uses a legal-institutional and political-analytical approach, examining the Common Foreign and Security Policy through five tests: aid to Ukraine, the trade pressure of the Donald Trump administration, the Israel-Gaza conflict, the crisis around Iran, and the Greenland case. The analysis shows that the EU can formulate a common position when external pressure is strong enough, but it has difficulty turning this position into an independent strategic capability. The main conclusion is that future European foreign policy should seek a model of interaction between willing states that overcome the paralyzing effect of unanimity without destroying the institutional architecture of the Union.

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Published

30-06-2026

Issue

Section

General

How to Cite

UNITY UNDER PRESSURE: THE EUROPEAN UNION’S FOREIGN POLICY AFTER 24 FEBRUARY 2022. (2026). Politics & Security, 16(2), 64-75. https://doi.org/10.54658/ps.28153324.2026.16.2.pp.64-75

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