European integration has always been underpinned by various guiding narratives, such as the "European peace project" or the promotion of prosperity in the common "single market". In recent years, a novel narrative has been added - the "Security Union". In this context, the EU promises to its citizens comprehensive protection in times of widespread uncertainty. Resilient European societies and a strategically autonomous Europe are viewed as central preconditions for this goal. However, the project of the "Security Union", as it stands, tends to focus on the preservation and defence of the status quo while neglecting the active shaping of the future.
How can the "Security Union" enable the EU to better master future challenges? In this new IFSH Policy Brief (in German), the ZUSE authors Aline Bartenstein, Hendrik Hegemann and Oliver Merschel argue that the EU should conceptualize social resilience with a focus on solidarity and transnationality, use gains in autonomy for the digital and ecological transformation and defend democratic values in the member states more forcefully.