I skuggan av ett försämrat säkerhetsläge : En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av EU-kommissionens framställning av den europeiska försvarsindustrin efter 2022

Sammanfattning

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has significantly intensified its engagement in defence industrial matters. Traditionally characterized by intergovernmental decision-making, this policy area has recently seen increased involvement from the European Commission despite its limited formal competences. This study examines how the Commission frames the European defence industry in its official policy documents published in the aftermath of the invasion and the extent to which this framing serves to legitimize a more active EU role. Drawing on strategic framing theory, the study conducts a qualitative content analysis of selected policy documents and legislative proposals. The analysis focuses on how policy problems are articulated, which solutions are proposed, and how these are justified at the EU level. The findings indicate that the Commission consistently portrays the European defence industry as fragmented, underfunded, and insufficiently coordinated. In response, it advances joint procurement, enhanced cooperation among member states, and increased and coordinated investment as necessary measures in light of a deteriorating security environment. Through this framing, the Commission seeks to legitimize an expanded EU role in defence industrial policy. The study contributes to the literature on EU defence industrial policy by demonstrating how strategic framing can be used to legitimize a more active EU role in a policy area characterized by limited formal competences.