The member states of the EU have chosen to build a common destiny, but for many years to come their defence against external threats will depend on the alliance or partnership of most of them within NATO. The two organisations are complementary in many ways: the EU needs NATO’s protection, but NATO needs a stable and prosperous Europe. How far can that complementarity be taken?
The Alliance and the Union
Examining relations between NATO and the European Union is a relatively new theme in the history of the Alliance. However, as it is a question of the future of Europe, to overlook it on this particular occasion, the 60th anniversary of the Washington Treaty, would be negligent, not to say culpable in respect of future generations.
The very definition of the two words ‘alliance’ and ‘union’ hints at the similarities and differences between the two organisations. ‘Alliance’ expresses a desire for solidarity between the parties, whereas ‘union’ refers to the creation of a ‘whole’. Yet in both cases there is the same idea of shared values and complementarity of resources.
Different Attributes, Different Approaches
The two organisations do not always see crisis management through the same eyes, for one simple reason. The Union and the Alliance cannot merge into each other: their capabilities are different, the interests that they defend are not exactly the same and their methods are not comparable.
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