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Transnational challenges

There is a growing overlap between the EU’s internal and external security problems. Terrorism, organised crime and unregulated migration not only pose a threat to European internal security, but also have a serious impact on the stability of Europe’s immediate neighbourhood. Very often, they find their roots in conflicts and instability further abroad in Africa or Asia.

For some time, the European Union has been active in international debates on the governance of these challenges, and has created new policy instruments of its own. Already in the early 1990s, the EU successfully linked its home-affairs priorities with its Common Foreign and Security Policy. The 2015 migration crisis showed the limits of that approach, and has sparked a new wave of reforms.

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    27March 2013
    The future of the CWC in the post-destruction phase
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    With contributions from

    Since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997, much progress has been made in destroying existing stockpiles of chemical weapons. However, the CWC is faced with new threats and challenges due to advances in science and technology and the changing international security, political and economic environment. On the eve of the Third Review Conference of the treaty, this report examines some of the most pressing challenges facing the CWC over the next decade.

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    26March 2013
    Chemical weapon use in Syria?
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    On 19 March 2013 a serious allegation was made concerning the use of chemical weapons near Aleppo. In this context, how could the EU play a role that would assist not only the potential victims of chemical attacks but also the process of eliminating all non-conventional weapons in the Middle East?

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    18February 2013
    Water as a stress factor in ­sub-Saharan Africa
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    Despite Africa’s rainy equatorial zone, long rivers, great lakes and vast shores, water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. Convincing policy responses are required in order to alleviate growing pressure on water resources that could eventually lead to domestic unrest, exacerbate existing inter-state tensions and even constitute a source of armed conflict.

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    18February 2013
    The shale gas ‘revolution’: challenges and implications for the EU
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    The recent boom in ‘unconventional’ oil and gas in the United States has raised many questions regarding the impact it will have on global energy markets, the security of energy supplies, the fight against climate change and even the global balance of power. Is it now time for Europe to develop its own resources?

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    18December 2012
    UNSCR 1540 and the EU: reinforcing national responsibilities
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    For nearly a decade now, the EU has provided decisive support to international efforts to combat WMD proliferation. This policy brief illustrates the added value of EU support to existing international instruments dealing with non-proliferation, while recommending concrete steps to improve EU efforts to foster greater international cooperation.

  • 10September 2012
    Future of the Chemical Weapons Convention: transitioning towards the post-destruction phase

    This workshop was an in-depth brainstorming session on the future of the Chemical Weapons Convention and it took place in Brussels with officials from EU member states and candidate countries.

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    15June 2012
    The EU's and China's institutional diplomacy in the field of climate change
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    Considering its linkages with various areas such as energy security, economic growth and diplomacy, climate change is a major ‘game-changer’ in international relations. The development of the climate change regime presents the EU with both an opportunity and a threat, in as much as it may either accelerate Europe’s decline as a foreign policy actor or, on the contrary, reinvigorate its diplomatic ambitions.

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    20December 2010
    A new farewell to arms: viewing disarmament in a new security environment
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    Advocates of disarmament have long maintained that non-conventional weapons are so destabilising to international peace and security that they should be eliminated altogether. This policy brief provides an overview of the disarmament question and examines how it is entering a new phase in a radical new context of globalisation and rapid technology diffusion.

  • 13September 2010
    Disarmament and non-proliferation: issues, challenges & options

    This workshop, organised in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Egmont Institute of Belgium, discussed challenges to the nuclear weapons control regime and opportunities and options for nuclear disarmament.

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    19April 2010
    Nuclear weapons after the 2010 NPT Review Conference
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    The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a central pillar in global efforts to prevent a destabilising armament competition and, worse still, nuclear war. Chaillot Paper No. 120 analyses the issues affecting the NPT in the lead-up to the 2010 Review Conference that will take place amid rising proliferation concerns and a renewed focus on disarmament.

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