Why does the EU always seem to “geopolitically awaken“ after every crisis… only to fall back asleep?

In my new article published in the Journal of European Public Policy, I argue that this pattern is not a dysfunction but the structural equilibrium of CFSP. An equilibrium determined by the competence-control tradeoff that member states continuously face. Member states face a recurring choice between exploiting the informational, coordinative, representational, financial, and procurement competence of EU supranational actors and keeping those actors on a short political leash.

External shocks increases the marginal value of supranational competence, leading to a rebalancing of the tradeoff in favor of empowering supranational actors (the High Representative, EEAS, and Commission) to make use of existing competence. But once pressure subsides, member states reassert control through vetoes, bilateral activism, and procedural recalibration. Reversibility is how the system works.