Towards More Effective Cooperation? The Role of States in Shaping NATO-EU Interaction and Cooperation

Abstract

IntroductionIn the 21st century the international system faces extremely dynamic, multifaceted and complex threats and challenges which require a comprehensive and holistic approach to be tackled. There are no purely military or civilian solutions to the challenges; combination and rational use of the existing capabilities by the institutions and states seems to be the only option leading to a more peaceful world.Therefore, studying the interaction between two key institutions such as NATO and the EU in the interconnected world is crucial as they play the important role in the global security architecture. The article will mainly focus on analyzing relations among the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and NATO.There are inherited similarities between these two organizations which naturally push them towards cooperation and enhance perception of a burdensharing: both organizations share the so-called "Western Values" associated with the democratic norms and principles; face similar multidimensional security threats and challenges; exercise the comprehensive approach in the field of crisis management, conduct operations in the same countries throughout the world; are responsible for the European security and, most importantly, share twenty two members in common out of twenty eight states.2The EU and NATO have undergone different phases of cooperation since the 1990s. The dynamic of relations show that their cooperation in early 2000s was more fruitful than in the following years. In 2003 the Berlin Plus Agreement (allowing the EU to use NATO assets for crisis management operations) was finalized and translated into two successful operations in Balkans.3 Since then, institutional cooperation has not been enriched either within Berlin Plus Arrangement or beyond its framework.In the official documents institutions portray their relations as a "strategic partnership"4; in reality NATO and the EU share common strategic interests but without common strategic agenda.As Herman Van Rompuy, the former President of the European Council, stated, "the ability of our two organizations to shape our future security environment would be enormous if they worked together. It is time to break down the remaining walls between them."5 The paper will analyze why this "remain ing walls" still exist and why organizations are not very successful in combining efforts to support international peace and stability in a rational, cost-effective and mutually beneficial way.Consequently, the article will seek to answer the following question: What are the factors limiting an effective cooperation between the EU and NATO?The NATO-EU relation is a complex phenomenon and therefore cannot be limited to the inter-institutional, bilateral format; multilateral dynamics orchestrated by the specific countries define their cooperation to the largest extent. Therefore, the EU-NATO interaction will be analyzed from the individual states' angle (dual and non-dual members) rather than from the institutions' perspective.The article will investigate the following hypothesis: 1. Some of the non-dual member countries hold "institutions hostage";6 2. Divergent positions among dual members towards the EU's CSDP policy contribute to the lack of a NATOEU joint strategic vision. Under both conditions, effective cooperation of the institutions is undermined.As it was mentioned, NATO and the EU share twenty two members in common and twelve states 7 remain only on the one side of the institutional framework (see the Annex A). This asymmetric membership has different impact on NATO-EU relations: some of the non-dual members play more positive role (Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway) while others contribute to the limited cooperation.Due to the large number and complex interaction between the non-dual members, the research will concentrate on Turkey and Cyprus constantly and significantly affecting the organizations' relations due to their political dispute. …