Challenges for European Societal Security

Over the last decade natural and man-made crises requiring a joint European response have increased in number and intensity. In this evolving global security environment, the role of the European Union as a security actor is changing. With every new major crisis the EU leaders have called for new ways and means of strengthening the Union’s capacity to protect European citizens and society. This capacity building has been complemented by additional legal provisions, such as the Solidarity Clause of the Lisbon Treaty which specifies that the European Union and every Member States have a shared responsibility for safeguarding their democratic institutions and the civilian population.

The research conducted for this report was funded by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and carried out by Emma Hallencreutz within The Programme for European Security Research (EUROSEC) at the Swedish National Defence College (SNDC). EUROSEC’s work on societal security is conducted within the international research project Building Societal Security in Europe – a roadmap towards enhanced transboundary crisis management capacity. It includes scholars from the SNDC, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), and Utrecht University School of Governance.

This is the sixth report of the project in the SNDC ACTA series. Previous ACTA reports include: The New Security Role of the European Union – Transnational Crisis Management and the Protection of Union Citizens (Ekengren, Matzén and Svantesson), Functional Security and Crisis Management Capacity in the EU (Edited by Boin, Ekengren and Rhinard), Protecting the European Union- Policies, Sectors and Institutional Solutions (Edited by Boin, Ekengren and Rhinard), Security in Transition Towards a New Paradigm for the Europe (Edited by Boin, Ekengren, and Rhinard), and National Participation in EU Civil Protection (Hollis).