NEW MILITARY PROTECTION INSTRUMENTS IN THE EU: OPPORTUNITIES FOR UKRAINE

Since the declaration of Ukraine's independence, the question of the Europeanness of our state has had an unequivocally positive answer. However, the foreign policy choice on European integration was officially declared and enshrined in 1993 in the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "On the main directions of foreign policy", which stated: "Ukraine's membership in the European Communities is a promising foreign policy goal". Since then, the course of our country's European integration has become one of the first important, and now – the priority direction of foreign policy.

At the same time, the main advantages of Ukraine's membership in the EU are the increase in living standards, assistance in the fight against corruption and free movement of people abroad. Herewith, the experience and capabilities of the European Union to ensure the security of the community are currently ignored by Ukrainians, although the purpose of its creation was to ensure peace and prevent possible conflicts. The ways to achieve this goal complemented each other: from purely economic (in fact, the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community) to military-political (development of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy).

The Maastricht Treaty on European Union (1992) sets out the main objectives of the common foreign and security policy, including strengthening the security of the European Union in all its forms, supporting peace and international security, developing and strengthening democracy. Although discussions on the possibility of creating a joint EU army have been updated from time to time, no positive decision has been made. NATO continues to play a key role in this aspect of the EU's CFSP implementation.

But the European Union has its own EUFOR rapid reaction force (European Union Force - European Union Force). They report to the European Union Military Staff and in fact complement other EU armed forces (European Corps, European Navy, EU Battlegroups, etc.). It is noteworthy that the European Union forces carry out various operations, in some of which Ukraine took part (eg. a military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina for further compliance with the Dayton Accords). The war with Somali pirates is being carried out as part of Operation Atalanta, and the EU refugee crisis caused by the war in Syria has given rise to Operation Sofia.

The launch of a large-scale hybrid war against Ukraine, as well as against the entire democratic world, by Russia in 2014 forced the EU to seek answers to new security challenges. The period from 2014 to the present is marked by realization of a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring the implementation of the Maastricht provisions on the CFSP, in particular, in the information sphere, and later in the military sphere. In 2017, during a meeting of EU defense agencies in Tallinn, the Lithuanian representative came up with the idea of ​​creating a so-called "Military Schengen", which found the support of many community states. Already in November 2017, a special program (PESCO) aimed at closer work in the security and defense area in the framework of the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy was agreed by 23 EU member states.

On March 21, 2022, at a meeting in Brussels, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers of the 27 EU member states approved the decision to adopt the first strategy in the history of the EU in the field of security and defense –  "Strategic Compass for Security and Defense for the European Union, which protects its citizens, values ​​and interests and promotes international peace and security " (hereinafter referred to as the Strategic Compass). Work on the Strategic Compass began in the summer of 2020; its implementation is designed for the medium term - until 2030. "It's not just another political document. This program operates with specific measures and deadlines for their implementation", said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy J. Borrell, presenting the draft Strategic Compass on November 16, 2021 at a press conference in Brussels.

Structurally, the Strategic Compass is divided into a summary, an introduction, five sections and conclusions. The purpose of the concept paper is to outline strategic perspectives and describe in detail the tools and initiatives needed to ensure faster, more decisive and credible EU action in the political and security sphere. The document also aims to achieve greater strategic autonomy, which will allow the EU to promote its interests and values at the global level against the background of intensification of countries such as China and Russia.

The introduction notes that humanity is living in an era of strategic competition and complex threats to international security, both in the form of hybrid challenges and acts of direct aggression. Particular emphasis is placed on the return of the war in Europe with Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.

The first section – THE WORLD WE FACE – is general and focuses on the global security landscape, which has become more volatile, complex and fragmented than ever because of multilevel threats. Accordingly, for the preparation of the Strategic Compass in 2020, the first comprehensive analysis of EU threats (based on intelligence) was conducted. This has helped to develop a common understanding of coordinating EU action in the event of potential threats and challenges.

The second chapter – ACT – emphasizes that the European Community must be able to act quickly and decisively when a crisis erupts: with partners, if possible and alone, when necessary. The development of the EU Rapid Reaction Force should allow for the deployment of up to 5,000 troops to deal with various types of crises.

The third section – SECURE – focuses on the need to improve the EU's ability to anticipate threats, ensure secure access to strategic domains and protect its citizens. To this end, it is planned to increase the intelligence potential of the European Union, planned to create a special hybrid EU toolkit to protect cyberspace, to combat the manipulation of foreign information and interference in the internal affairs of states.

The fourth section – INVEST – notes the urgent need to invest more and better in innovative technologies, reduce technological and industrial dependence of EU member states. Here, it is important to make full use of cooperation to jointly develop advanced military capabilities and invest in technological innovation for defense and to establish a new center of defense innovation within the European Defense Agency.

The fifth chapter – PARTNER – focuses on strengthening cooperation with global and regional partners to address common threats and challenges. This primarily involves strengthening and deepening the strategic partnership with NATO, developing new common priorities for cooperation with the UN, deepening political dialogue with partners at the regional level. An EU Security and Defense Partnership Forum is planned.

Alla Kyrydon, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, State scientific institution "Encyclopedic Publishing House"(Kyiv, Ukraine)

Natalia Nechaeva-Yuriychuk, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Department  of Political Sciences and Public Administration, Yuriy Fedkovych National University (Chernivtsi, Ukraine)

Sergiy Troyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, National Aviation University (Kyiv, Ukraine)