International relations and European integration literature traditionally assumes that states will not enter into agreements that constrain their authority, because to do so would conflict with the state’s ultimate purpose to preserve its sovereignty and integrity. However, in the last decade European states have entered into cooperation that involves integrative commitments in the field of security and defence, which is a core state power. In this thesis, I ask what has enabled the establishment of interstate cooperative formats involving integration both inside and outside the EU. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter, which sets out the research agenda, and three research articles which are titled as follows:- Beyond the ‘lowest common denominator’? Mutually binding commitments in European security and defence cooperation: the case of the Nordic states
- A ‘Europe of defence?’ The establishment of binding commitments and supranational governance in European security and defence cooperation
- Reconsidering sovereignty in security and defence cooperation: The case of European ‘great powers’
Full info
ARENA Report 3/24 (pdf) (155 pages)
Beyond the State? The Establishment of Integrative Commitments in European Security and Defence Cooperation
Tine Elisabeth Brøgger
April 2024