The Cooperation Between EU and NATO in Response to Hybrid Threats. A Retrospective Analysis from the Institutionalist Perspective

Abstract

The annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine by the Russian Federation provided new impetus for the EU and NATO to develop and later also intensify cooperation in hybrid threats. This unique process, that happens between two actors who have different histories, aims or membership structures, is analysed from the institutionalist perspective, which served as a framework to understand the development. The main aim of the article is to assess interinstitutional cooperation between the EU and NATO in the area of hybrid threats: especially in the area of capacity building, strategic communication, crisis management, counterterrorism or WMD use, and civil protection. The author concludes that both the EU and NATO successfully developed cooperation in hybrid threats and created mechanisms that enable similar perceptions of the threats and better coordination of the responses. The article serves merely as an exploratory study dedicated to the development of cooperation between the EU and NATO in this challenging area in the period between 2014 and 2022.