Europeisk säkerhetisering och försvarsintegration i krigets skugga : En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av EU-institutionernas reaktioner på Rysslands invasion av Ukraina

Sammanfattning

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24th of February 2022 resulted in the collapse of the previous security order in Europe. The purpose of this study was to examine how the European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, and Council of the European Union perceived, politicized, and responded to this invasion in the realm of defense and security policy, through the lens of agenda-setting. The study focused primarily on different official materials published by the EU. The theory employed to analyze the institution’s action was agenda-setting. Methodologically, the study was both qualitative content analysis and a case study with an embedded single-case design. The analysis of the results showed how a window of opportunity had opened and a plethora of new policies had been adopted. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was perceived as a major threat and the EU’s defense capabilities were also problematized. New policy tended to be tied to concepts such as solidarity, cost-effectiveness or to previous policy or strategy. Plenty of new policies and strategies were adopted with general level of broad support, though discussions were held both within and between the institutions throughout the policy processes.