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The new geopolitics of EU cybersecurity: security, economy and sovereignty

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Ben FarrandORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

The European Union (EU) is currently experiencing significant geopolitical shifts and is concerned that its dependence on externally produced or foreign-owned technologies impacts its strategic autonomy, with implications for its security and economy. In response, it has placed sovereignty at the forefront of its agenda and at the centre of its relations with the world. Academic literature has so far paid limited attention to understanding the interactions between geopolitics, perceptions of technological dependence, and the impact on policy governance in cybersecurity. Bearing this gap in mind, the article asks, ‘how is the EU’s discourse of sovereignty and reducing external dependencies shaping its approach to cybersecurity?’ Applying regulatory mercantilism and policy analysis applied to three case studies - semiconductors, data servers, and cybersecurity certifications – the article finds that the EU’s depiction of its cybersecurity as impacted by dependence on externally manufactured products resulted in the merging of security and economic rationales. This has translated into efforts for greater control, either through promoting production within the European physical space through security-influenced industrial policies or exerting regulatory influence beyond Europe’s borders when this is not possible. Where globalization is believed to have failed, regulatory mercantilism becomes more likely as a policy approach.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Farrand B, Carrapico H, Turobov A

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: International Affairs

Year: 2024

Volume: 100

Issue: 6

Pages: 2379-2397

Print publication date: 04/11/2024

Online publication date: 04/11/2024

Acceptance date: 16/08/2024

Date deposited: 16/08/2024

ISSN (print): 0020-5850

ISSN (electronic): 1468-2346

Publisher: Oxford University Press

URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae231

DOI: 10.1093/ia/iiae231


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