The Transformation of European Security Architecture under the EU Strategic Compass: The European Union between Strategic Autonomy and Transatlantic Dependence

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, the European Union has primarily projected international influence through normative and economic power while relying on the United States as its principal security guarantor. However, escalating geopolitical crises—culminating in Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine—have significantly altered the European strategic environment. In response, the European Union adopted the Strategic Compass in March 2022 to strengthen its security and defence capabilities through four core pillars: Act, Secure, Invest, and Partner. This article addresses the following research question: To what extent has the Strategic Compass transformed the European security architecture, and does it signify a movement toward strategic autonomy or the persistence of transatlantic dependence? Employing qualitative content analysis and neo-functionalist integration theory, the study evaluates the institutional, operational, and material dimensions of contemporary EU defence initiatives. The analysis demonstrates that while instruments such as the European Defence Fund facilitate spillover dynamics in defence-industrial governance and capability development, key operational initiatives, including the Rapid Deployment Capacity, remain constrained by institutional, political, and operational limitations. The findings indicate that although the Strategic Compass has strengthened European defence cooperation and accelerated capability-building efforts, the evidence examined in this study does not indicate a transition toward full strategic autonomy under the current institutional and strategic configuration, particularly given Europe’s continuing dependence on US strategic enablers, C4ISR infrastructure, and extended nuclear deterrence. The study concludes that the Strategic Compass contributes to the gradual emergence of a model of complementary autonomy, wherein enhanced European capabilities coexist with and reinforce, rather than replace, the broader transatlantic security architecture.