Political narrative and collective EU security

Our latest study, co-authored with my colleague Dr Jean Claude Cachia, looks at "Political narrative, collective EU security and the State of the Union." It was published in the Journal of European Politics and Society.

The European Commission Presidents often use the State of the Union address to build a narrative on the need for the European Union to become a security player. The State of the Union address was established with the Lisbon Treaty and serves to highlight the priorities of the Commission. This makes it one of the most important addresses in political terms. Such a speech draws attention to the function of narratives and their role in shaping human communication which can be used by politicians to transfer ideologies, beliefs and information to a wider audience.

The full paper may be read online by clicking here.