Assessing EU-NATO cooperation in discourse and practice: A comparative analysis of hybrid threats, cyber threats and maritime security

• Autor(a) principal: Vieira, Ana Ricardo Martins
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/30507
• topic: European Union; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Hybrid threats; Cyber threats; Segurança marítima -- Maritime security; União Europeia; Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte; Ameaças híbridas; Ciberameaças

To what extent has the interest in consolidating the cooperation between NATO and the EU in the field of security and defence been translated into practice? NATO and the EU have a long standing relationship and responding efficiently and concertedly to the growing range of unconventional threats requires a joint approach, based on a common vision and articulated in a cooperative and complementary way. Nevertheless, as the vast academic literature on the subject demonstrates, there has been tension, competition and conflict in the relational dynamic between the two institutions due to the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. In contrast, this dissertation aims to analyse cooperation between NATO and the EU. Based on an analysis of official documents, we seek to understand how this inter institutional cooperation has evolved in three areas that have acquired increasing strategic relevance. We particularly highlight the areas of hybrid threats, cyber threats and maritime security, which are the areas of cooperation consistently mentioned in the three EU-NATO Joint Declarations. We conclude that, despite the intention to strengthen operational cooperation between the two organizations, which is reflected in the official documentation, an analysis of the projects implemented collaboratively demonstrates that cooperation is still particularly limited, with some important differences in these three areas analysed. Through this analysis, we intend to contribute to the literature on EU-NATO cooperation by establishing the relationship between the rhetoric and official documentation and the practical actions taken.