If security matters, institutions matter

In December 2013 the European Council will address, in the words of its President Herman Van Rompuy, "the state of defence in Europe".

The Institute for European Studies of the Brussels University and the Egmont Institute contribute to this debate by publishing a collection of short essays that outline the necessity and urgency of acting while offering concrete and ambitious yet feasible recommendations.  The collection is titled The State of Defence in Europe: State of Emergency?

Institutions do matter

Clingendael's senior researcher Margriet Drent has contributed to this publication by addressing the institutional issues that are still outstanding. According to her "Developing the EU as a security provider may first and foremost revolve around concrete actions, projects and capabilities, but without using the possibilities of the EU institutional architecture, the actual delivery will be difficult. Therefore, institutions do matter."