კრიზისის მენეჯმენტი ევროკავშირის საერთო თავდაცვისა დაუსაფრთხოების პოლიტიკის კონტექსტში: EU NAVFOR Atalanta (2008-2016)

The thesis- „Crisis Management in the context of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy:
EU NAVFOR ATALANTA (2008-2016)“ aims to examine what factors determine the EU's
common security and defense policy’s coherence and influence on the EU member states
coordination on the vertical level, whereas Vertical coherence refers to the interaction and
congruence between the EU level and member state crisis responses. Intergovernmental nature
of the EU’s common security and defense policy should be taken into consideration, which
implies that correlation between the member states interest and priorities determines the scope
and level of their coordination. According to the liberal intergovernmentaslism, which studies
the EU integration processes and cooperation opportunities, respective hypotheses of the study
was developed: the degree of the vertical coherence of the common security and defense policy
Is high when a) concrete crisis puts member states’ sector economic interests under risks and b)
perceived threat from the crisis is shared. Derived hypotheses are evaluated through the single
case study method focused on the EU common security and defense instrument- the first navalmilitary
operation
EU
NAVFOR
Atalanta,
which
is
the
most
citied
example
of
the
EU’s
coherent

crisis
management.
The
analysis
traces
the
activities
and
interaction
of
the
“Big
Three”-
France,

Germany
and
UK.
The
thesis
suggests
that
there
was
low
level
of
interest
polarization
between

the

abovementioned countries: Somali piracy endangered and put under risk their sector
economies, correlation between Somali piracy and terrorism enhanced threat perception, which
resulted in common priorities and further cooperation under the EU’s common security and
defense policy. At the same time neutralizing the abovementioned threats in the format of the
Operation EU NAVFOR Atalanta was less costly and risky, benefits were calculable, which
resulted in even more robust engagement of the “Big Three”. This indicates not only constraints
of the very dynamic, rapidly developing and much criticized field of the EU Common security
and defense policy but opportunities as well.