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

doi: 10.32559/et.2024.3.1

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

European Union CSDP European sovereignty strategic autonomy institutional reality political discourse analysis

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