The Multifaceted Concept of Security in EU Law

Lecturer

Ester Herlin-Karnell is a Professor of EU Law at the Department of Law at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg. Ester teaches and conducts research in EU constitutional law and constitutional theory, as well as in EU security law and EU criminal law.

Abstract

Security in the European Union (EU) is an increasingly important question. While internal security has been central to the EU for a long time, traditionally, security as a matter of coercion and force has been a nation-state question or an international law matter. While security is often described as an essentially contested concept, it is largely undertheorized in EU law. In this paper, I will scan the security concept and discuss its various applications in EU law and argue that in recent times the security concept has become central to the future of EU integration. I will discuss whether the post-9/11 critique of security is readily transferable to the current state of play regarding the importance of security in Europe and the dangers of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Whereas the notions of security, coercion, and force may seem distant in the EU context, the use of sanctions, emergency legislation, and other security instruments challenges traditional boundaries of coercive power. The paper will explore this question, providing a roadmap of security as a crucial aspect of contemporary EU integration, and highlighting how the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has significantly upended the security notion in the EU. (forthcoming in the Columbia Journal of European Law, vol 31, issue 2).

The event is open to everyone and does not require pre-registration. Participation can take place physically or digitally via Zoom.