Much of the empirical work on the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy suggests that there is something "more" going on in this field than what we might expect if we rely on traditional realist or more sophisticated rational choice perspectives in our analyses. However, it is not...

Based on a communicative perspective this article works out the theoretical possibility of a twofold change in European security (in the referent object of security; and in the understanding and practice of the best means to achieve security). The approach suggested should be considered...

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the identity problem of the European Union. In order to do so the EU’s justifications of past and present enlargements are investigated. What kind of understanding of the EU do decisions to enlarge speak to? Given that the EU is based on more than...

The principal hypothesis in this paper is that a twofold change (in the referent object of security; and in the understanding and practice of the best means to achieve security) is taking place in European security and defence. In order to investigate the empirical relevance of this hypothesis,...

European Foreign and Security Policy is being transformed. This raises potentially important challenges to democratic accountability. But in order to properly assess the state of democracy in this policy field it is necessary first to define the nature of the EU polity. This paper explores three...

This paper asks how we can make sense of the efforts in the late 1990s to strengthen the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the EU and build common institutional structures and shared capabilities in security and defence. Was it only a passing phenomenon, dependent on a particular and...

In May 2005 the Norwegian government signed an agreement to contribute troops to the European Union’s so-called battle groups. These are integrated military forces that are at the disposal of the European Union for a period of 6 months at a time. Norway’s association with the battle groups...

In May 2005 the Norwegian government signed an agreement to contribute troops to the European Union’s so-called battle groups. These are integrated military forces that are at the disposal of the European Union for a period of 6 months at a time. Norway’s association with the battle groups...