THE EU COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY: BALANCING NATIONAL INTERESTS AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSE

Abstract

This article examines the evolution and current functioning of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in the context of transformations in the European security environment caused by Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

The research methodology is based on systemic, institutional, and comparative approaches, as well as the analysis of EU founding treaties, strategic documents, and practical instruments for the implementation of foreign and security policy. The study analyzes the role of key EU institutions, including the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the European External Action Service, in shaping coordinated external actions.

The results demonstrate that the CFSP remains characterized by a significant level of intergovernmentalism, which preserves Member States’ sovereignty in the field of foreign and security policy but simultaneously limits the effectiveness and promptness of collective decision-making. Russia’s war against Ukraine has intensified political consolidation within the EU, strengthened sanctions mechanisms, expanded military and financial assistance to Ukraine, and stimulated the further development of defense cooperation initiatives, including the European Peace Facility and Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). However, the unanimity principle continues to create structural obstacles to the rapid implementation of joint foreign policy decisions.

The scientific novelty of this research lies in substantiating the dual nature of the CFSP as a mechanism balancing national strategic priorities and supranational coordination under conditions of geopolitical instability. The practical significance of the study is determined by the possibility of using its findings to assess prospects for institutional reform of EU foreign and security policy and the strengthening of the Union’s strategic autonomy.

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Received: 31.03.26 / Revised: 20.04.26 / Accepted: 03.05.26 / Published: 30.06.26