European Mirror

The Imaginaries of Autonomy and Sovereignty in Strategic Documents of the European Union

Molnár Anna — 2025-07-02

The meaning of strategic autonomy and sovereignty appearing in defence and security
policy related documents of the European Union since 1998 has got in the focus of analyses again because of the Russia−Ukraine war and the 2022
publication of the Strategic Compass. The article shortly summarises the evolution of the two concepts. The process is examined from interdisciplinary perspective, with the tools of political science and political discourse analysis. We provide a short historical overview of
the unfolding of the idea of European strategic autonomy and sovereignty based on relevant documents between 1998 and 2024, also discussing the related literature. Then we point out the overlaps and differences between the two concepts founded on the examination of contexts in the sample texts. Finally, using Searle’s theory on institutional communication, we present how the content of concepts forged in political discourse becomes a future vision and a scenario of action in insitutional reality.

Strategic Autonomy and Energy Security

Rada Péter — 2025-07-02

This study aims to explore the relationship between the European Union’s (EU) energy security and strategic autonomy in the context of changing global geopolitical dynamics. The central hypothesis of the study is that achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy is essential for establishing sustainable energy security, but this cannot be realized without the EU’s autonomy. The analysis highlights the risk that the EU’s energy transition may lead to a new dependency, primarily on China and the United States, replacing its former reliance on Russian energy. The study reviews the challenges to the EU’s energy security, examines the balance between energy and climate policy goals, and analyzes the EU’s geopolitical position amid the transformation of the global energy system. Based on the findings, the study offers recommendations on how the EU can achieve strategic autonomy while ensuring sustainable energy security, emphasizing the importance of a unified foreign policy and diplomacy in shaping a cohesive and effective EU energy strategy.

Protection of Cultural Heritage in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy: The Role of Civilian Missions

Puskás Anna — 2025-07-02

The issue of cultural heritage protection has gradually moved up to the international peace and security agenda over the last decade, which has also allowed various regional and global international organisations to use their crisis management tools. This paper examines the integration of cultural heritage protection into the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), in particular into the remit of civilian CSDP missions, while exploring the drivers and main directions of civilian crisis management developments over the last two decades. The study aims to highlight the potential role of cultural heritage protection activities in conflict prevention, peace-building, social reconciliation and sustainable development, mainly through documents issued by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and decisions of the Foreign Affairs Council.

Food Sovereignty and Law

Csirszki Martin Milán — 2025-07-02

The article aims to shed light on the legal (mainly legislative) implications of the food sovereignty movement as an agricultural policy paradigm. Food sovereignty grew out of a movement in the second half of the 1990s, whose proponents defined themselves as the counterpart of increasingly globalised food supply chains. In this article, after presenting the main elements of the food sovereignty paradigm, I will focus on two main themes. On the one hand, what sovereignty in food sovereignty means, who is sovereign in the first place; and on the other hand, what ideas and desires the proponents of the paradigm have for a well-functioning agriculture and food system. This will be followed by an examination, through the example of the Hungarian legal system, of the legal consequences if one aims to build a legal framework for agriculture based on the principles of the paradigm. As Hungarian law must necessarily operate within the framework of EU law, it is also important to explore the scope given to Member States to implement elements of the paradigm at national level. Finally, I will make some further proposals that could advance the implementation of food sovereignty in domestic context.

Ki korán kel, nyugalmat lel

2025-07-02

Könyvismertetés Bartóki-Gönczy Balázs – Sulyok Gábor (szerk.) The New Space Age: Legal and Policy Perspectives című művéről

Horváth Barbara — 2025-07-02

Könyvismertetés Halmai Péter (szerk.) Fenntarthatóság a közgazdaság-tudományban – Elméleti alapok, alkalmazások című művéről

Kozomos Emőke — 2025-07-02