Use of Force by the European Union: Between Normative Identity and Geopolitical Coercion

The EU is not a military organization, but it can authorize and conduct military operations under specific circumstances, often with a UN mandate. The EU’s use of force is generally focused on crisis management, conflict prevention, and maintaining international peace and security. This approach to the use of force has evolved since the 1990s. This article examines the legal regulations and political determinants of the European Union’s use of force, based on its involvement in military operations between 2012 and 2024. The author points to the evolution of the use of force by the European Union in the context of its normative identity and shifting geopolitical conditions. By juxtaposing institutional, strategic, and axiological aspects, it presents the EU’s transformation from a value-promoting entity to one capable of projecting military force. The use of force by the EU emerges not only as an instrument for defending values but also as a test of the community’s political cohesion and institutional resilience. Drawing on the concept of rational institutionalism, the author argues that in the face of specific and exceptionally difficult external challenges, actions utilizing the instrument of force become an essential component of the EU’s external action.