THE FUTURE OF THE EU’S MILITARY OPERATIONS – PERSPECTIVES AND OBSTACLES

Abstract

Over the last 20 years, the European Union has made many significant changes in the functioning of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, including improving its operational competences. For years, Africa has been one of the main areas of the Union’s international involvement, where the largest number of military missions under the CFSP were carried out. The article focuses on discussing the prospects for the European Union’s military involvement within the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the factors influencing it, both from a military and a political
perspective. The aim of the article is to determine the future of Community military operations. For this purpose, the question should be answered: How did the operations carried out affect the Union’s military capabilities and what challenges lie ahead in their further development? The research hypothesis states that the future of the European Union’s military operations will depend on the constantly changing international situation. The author based her considerations on the analysis of European Union documents and scientific literature examining the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The future of the EU’s potential military involvement in Africa remains open. Despite the significant success of many operations, the constantly changing international situation and the internal problems of the Union itself may lead to the considerations, about the future of the military operations. It seems that the Union’s operational activities in the future will depend on the international situation, primarily in Europe, and the approach of member states to the development of military cooperation.