CFSP and the EU’s Strategic Autonomy: Between Ambition and Reality Amid Global Instability

Novaković Marko (Institut za međunarodnu politiku i privredu, Beograd.), marko@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs
Vučić Mihajlo (Institut za međunarodnu politiku i privredu, Beograd.), mihajlo@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs

The article explores the development, challenges, and future prospects of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in light of the evolving concept of EU strategic autonomy. Through a comprehensive historical and legal analysis, the authors trace the institutional evolution of CFSP from its early attempts at political unification to its current form, highlighting persistent obstacles rooted in national sovereignty and intergovernmental decision-making. The Russian aggression against Ukraine serves as a current example, demonstrating the CFSP’s structural weaknesses, especially the reliance on consensus. The authors argue that genuine strategic autonomy requires deeper institutional reform, technological and industrial capacity building, and a redefinition of EU external action in a multipolar world marked by rivalry among major powers. The paper concludes that the EU’s survival as a global actor depends on overcoming internal divisions, reinforcing its normative identity, and adopting a coherent strategy that balances autonomy with transatlantic and multilateral cooperation. Without such reform, CFSP risks remaining a declaratory policy, inadequate for the demands of the current geopolitical environment.

Keywords: European Union, CFSP, Strategic Autonomy, Ukraine, Sovereignty, Foreign Policy, Multipolar Order, Institutional Reform.