Defense initiatives of the European Union against the background of security issues in modern conditions

Abstract

The article analyzes the defense initiatives of the European Union against the background of the problem of security in modern conditions. It is shown that the idea of defense initiatives has a long history, the important milestones of which were the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty of Amsterdam, the «Berlin Plus Agreement», the European Security Strategy, the Common Security and Defense Policy. The need for European cohesion arose in a new way in the early 2020s. In 2023, the European Commission announced the European Defense Industrial Strategy, aimed at strengthening the defense technological and industrial base of the EU. The political situation associated with the coming to power of the second administration of President Trump in 2025 has made security and defense issues more relevant for Europeans. The purpose of the article is to clarify the defence initiatives launched by the European Union and the nature of their changes against the backdrop of threatening trends in global security The complex nature of the scientific problem involves the use of appropriate methods that combine different types of systems analyses: system-structural analysis, system-functional, and system-historical analysis, as well as the method of rational reconstruction and prognostic method. Results. The structures of the European Union demonstrate unity in strengthening their own military-industrial capabilities. The importance of the task is due to the peculiarities of the modern stage. It is characterized as unprecedented, with elements of the Cold War, but much more multipolar. It is shown that the sources of threats for Europeans include the Russian-Ukrainian war, Iran, North Korea, the landscape of the Indo-Pacific region and the factor of unpredictability of their American partner. Conclusions. It is proven that the mentioned challenges require new models of interaction between partners and leadership initiatives from the advanced countries of Europe. Today, such a team includes France, Great Britain and Germany, around which Scandinavian and other, and not only European, countries are united. The mentioned defense initiatives are an important component of the European Union's policy aimed at protecting peace and security in the conditions of modern life.