A US Driven Security Agenda? EU Actorness in Counter-terrorism Co-operation with the US

MacKenzie, Alex (2011) A US Driven Security Agenda? EU Actorness in Counter-terrorism Co-operation with the US. [Conference Proceedings] (Submitted)

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Abstract

It has been well documented that EU-US counter-terrorism co-operation has flourished in recent years. Prior to 9/11, the EU was in no way a counterterrorism actor, but this event ensured increasing EU involvement in counterterrorism - and the US played a particularly important role in the EU’s emergence into this field. The US frequently exerted pressure on the EU to adopt its security agenda, and while the EU has certainly adopted some policies that originated in the US, it has proved more resistant on other issues. What has been less well documented – and what this article will explore – is the level of actorness displayed by the EU in co-operation with the US. The significance of the EU as a counter-terrorism actor when in co-operation with the US will be demonstrated through the use of Jupille and Caporaso’s (1998) criteria for actorness: recognition, authority, autonomy, and cohesion. Institutional changes under the Treaty of Lisbon are another factor that must be taken into account because they have the potential to enhance the actorness of the EU in counterterrorism. In particular, the growing power of the European Parliament (EP) and its role in the SWIFT Agreement may prove to be indicative of the future stance of that institution towards the US.

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