30Received 11.03.2025. Revised 19.03.2025. Accepted 21.03.2025.
Abstract. The origins of the European Union’s modern nuclear non-proliferation policy date back to the creation of Euratom in the late 1950s, as well as its accession to the most important international treaties in this area. However, the EU gained a genuine role in the policy of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control after the signing of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), which endowed it with legal personality and determined the future trajectory of development. Undoubtedly, a certain reference point was the adoption by the EU of its Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in 2003, which confirmed the European Union’s place among the main international organizations. The presented article analyzes the role of the EU in international policy in the field of nuclear non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, as well as the most pressing problems limiting this role. It seems that Brussels is ready to resist the disintegration of the international system of non-proliferation and arms control, supporting the work of existing international institutions organizationally and financially. At the same time, it should be recognized that the European Union’s ability to play a more prominent role in arms control is currently limited. Firstly, the EU is unable to overcome even the internal fragmentation between its member states, which have different “nuclear formats”. One of the reasons for the existing fragmentation of the European Union is the cross-membership of a number of countries in the EU and NATO, which reflects the dichotomy in their identity and creates problems for developing a unified line of the Union’s behavior. This is most clearly evident in the attitude of the EU countries towards the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Secondly, apart from stating the threat of WMD proliferation and the alarming arms control situation in the Strategic Compass, the European Union does not have a clear conceptual understanding and plan for overcoming this situation. Perhaps the development of the strategic autonomy of the EU can strengthen internal unity and trigger a more active and independent role in the field of arms control.
Keywords: European Union, European security, NATO, arms control and proliferation crisis, NPT, CTBT, CFE Treaty, nuclear energy, Ukrainian conflict
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