European Strategic Culture in the Citizens' Eyes

Numerous examples of the use of the term "strategic culture" applied to the European Union can be found in the scientific literature or in political statements. The High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission himself, Josep Borrell, has stressed the need for the EU to have a "shared strategic culture and empathy". However, this quote is more of a political ambition than an objective reality. Similarly, it is often argued that the EU does not have its own strategic culture, but that only its Member States have one. This contribution proposes to explore the meaning of this term and its reality in the context of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). If the construction or development of such a common strategic culture in Europe is defined as a clear political objective, it seems obvious to all that it can only be built through collective and convergent actions of all CSDP actors in the Union.