The EU, Sweden and Societal Security

By Magnus Ekengren

Summary 

In a new article in Vårt Försvar [Our Defence] Ekengren highlights the challenges, opportunities and risks of the EU’s growing responsibility for societal security. The challenge is to build a truly transboundary capacity for the protection of European citizens and society in an environment increasingly characterised by cross-border threats. Ekengren argues that the Union’s opportunity depends on whether the EU member states are able to change their current approach to the EU’s role. Instead of assessing European cooperation as just an ‘added value’ to existing national capacity there is a need to start viewing national resources as adaptable parts of an aggregated European system based on mutual solidarity. He also points out the risk that the current ad hoc creation of EU capacity in the absence of strategy might lead to increased national vulnerability.