FORMATION OF THE INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL SECURITY: THE EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the organization of the unified European defense system, as part of the national security system of the EU countries. The process of changes in the security architecture of the European Union and issues of foreign policy and defense after the end of the Cold War is considered. The steps taken towards the development of the EU's common foreign and security policy after the Maastricht Treaty, according to which the institute of the Common Foreign and Security Policy was called to strengthen the security of the EU, are specified. The main directions of the defense policy of the European Union defined by the Treaty of Amsterdam are characterized. Changes in the mechanism of cooperation in the field of national security of the EU outlined by the Nice Treaty were noted. The study states that the Russian Federation's full-scale war in Ukraine forced EU countries to change their national security policies and strengthen their own defense capabilities after a long process of disarmament. It is indicated that after the start of the war in Ukraine, the issue of collective defense and security of European countries became dominant in the activities of NATO, which is the guarantor of the territorial defense of the EU. The features of the new EU defense strategy «Strategic Compass», which logically continued the Global Strategy of the European Union in 2016, are characterized. The author notes that in the "Strategic Compass" the Russian Federation is recognized as an aggressor against a neighboring state and poses a threat to European security. A conclusion was made about the potential of EU and NATO priorities and security strategy and the awareness of the urgent need to organize a flexible system of security cooperation for a quick and effective response to the threat of an attack on EU countries. It is noted that under the influence of the war in Ukraine, a strategic shift in the EU's position from «soft» to military force is occurring. It was noted that the EU's foreign policy for decades provided for interaction with other countries on the basis of international law and economic norms, but now there is a need to strengthen the military component of the foreign and security policy, which is characterized by a shift in favor of forceful methods of influence.