Tania Latici, Ph.D. Candidate
tania.latici@gmail.com
Ghent University
About Me:
Tania Latici is working as a Policy Analyst in the European Parliamentary Research Service - the in-house think tank of the European Parliament - where she supports Members of the European Parliament with briefings and analyses and regularly authors publications. Her expertise lies in security and defence issues and Europe’s role in the world. Past work experiences include the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the European External Action Service and in the private sector. She is also an Associate Expert for the first English-speaking Romanian think-tank, Strategikon, and a Member of Women in International Security (WIIS) Brussels. Tania is also doing a part-time PhD on transatlantic security and defence matters at the University of Ghent and within the European Doctoral School on CSDP at the European Security and Defence College.
Research Interests
European Politics
Foreign Policy
Military Intervention
Peacekeeping
European Security Cooperation
Transatlantic Defence Cooperation
Countries of Interest
United States
Former Soviet Union
Ukraine
United Kingdom
France
Publications:
Book Chapters:
Europe has come a long way in promoting equality between men and women but an equally long way lies ahead for achieving complete gender equality. This chapter will assess the progress reached so far in Europe, and the slow pace of change. Facts and figures are presented as to reveal the situation regarding women’s participation in politics at different levels of decision-making and some of the obstacles they face – women who pursue political careers still face disproportional difficulties, bias, and potholes, in relation to male peers. The chapter will briefly touch upon the inherent objectification of women in mainstream culture and upon the gender bias cultivated by education systems and traditions. Patriarchal mentalities and predefined gender roles are still prevailing across European societies and this has a major impact in the way women access and use political power. This chapter also acknowledges the achievements made by the flourishing of gender- awareness initiatives and by organizations fighting for women’s fair representation in politics. Role models for women and men are also increasingly emerging and engaging in the quest for gender diversity, as explored in the ‘European women will not wait another century for equality’ section. The disruptive #MeToo campaign is also subsequently discussed. Finally, the chapter calls upon the European Union’s (EU) policy and decision makers to do more to include female voices and talents, and shows how this is a necessity for Europe’s ability to successfully tackle and adapt to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
Other:
'Europe's security is our security', states the 2018 British National Security Capability Review. The expected departure of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) will not alter geography, and the UK will remain a European country. The UK and the countries of the EU share the same strategic environment and, by default, the same threats to their peace and security. Historically, pragmatically and geographically, they remain deeply linked from a security and defence perspective, and there is political consensus on the need to nurture this linkage. Official documents from the British government also confirm this: the UK is exiting the EU, not Europe. In legal terms, after leaving the EU, the UK will become a third country to the EU and cooperation will continue on that basis. While the EU's common security and defence policy has an established precedent in cooperating closely with third countries on missions and operations, albeit without providing them with decision-making roles, the EU's new defence integration initiatives are currently exploring third-party cooperation. As the UK played a founding role in developing the EU's security and defence policy, it is naturally deeply interconnected with the other EU Member States in this area. As one of the EU's biggest military powers, the UK brings a particularly valuable contribution and know-how to the field. Both parties have made commitments to ensure as close as possible a partnership in foreign policy, security and defence matters. The area of security and defence has the potential to result in a positive post-Brexit tale.
Military logistics was defined by Baron Henri de Jomini as 'the practical art of moving armies'. In the event of an unpredictable crisis at any border of the European Union (EU), military personnel and equipment must be able to move rapidly across the territory. Currently, training and the movement of military assets across the continent is severely hampered by the lack of appropriate infrastructure and cumbersome customs procedures. This strategic weakness in European defence cooperation is being addressed by means of action on military mobility: an action plan by the European Commission, a project and commitment under permanent structured cooperation, and a key action for EU-NATO cooperation. Military mobility is meant to ensure the seamless movement of military equipment across the EU by reducing physical, legal and regulatory obstacles.
Four years ago, in June 2014, US President Obama announced what was to become a key security guarantee from America to Europe. The European Reassurance Initiative, as it was called during the first half of its existence, is a military programme supporting the activities of the US military and its allies in Europe. In 2017, it was renamed the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) to reflect the shift in the international security environment characterised by a prioritisation of deterrence. Activities under the EDI include training of forces, multinational military exercises and development of military equipment and capabilities. They all take place under the umbrella of Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR) whose core mission is to enhance deterrence. Despite recent turmoil in transatlantic relations, the budget for building up defences in central and eastern Europe through the EDI has seen major increases; even under the Trump administration. The EDI has deepened security and defence cooperation between the US and the main beneficiaries of OAR, namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. The US European Command, which coordinates all EDI and OAR activities, is working to forge enhanced interoperability between different countries' military forces through joint training, staff exchanges and exercises. The Command's leadership also recognises the cyber domain as a pressing area where integration is needed, although the EDI budget for 2019 makes no mention of it. The recent proliferation of EU defence initiatives and the revamp of EU-NATO relations should also contribute to EDI's core mission: to establish a strong deterrence posture able to meet today's security challenges.
The European Union (EU) is currently undertaking a strategic review of the civilian dimension of CSDP to take the form of a civilian CSDP Compact (CCC), in order to adapt the CSDP to the challenges of the current geopolitical environment. Europe's 'strategic environment has changed radically' and is surrounded by 'an arc of instability', according to High Representative Federica Mogherini. Conflict and violence used to be understood in terms of (and as caused by) hard borders. Today, however, physical distances and borders have become redundant in the face of evolving and persistent threats such as poverty, climate change or hybrid warfare. The EU has been active in recognising this changing environment through various defence integration initiatives, not least through the EU global strategy (EUGS). The most visible EU commitments to international peace and security remain its missions and operations deployed outside the Union. Missions under the CSDP can have a military or civilian nature, although the latter are more prominent in EU activities. Focused on goals such as rule of law reform, stabilisation, fighting organised crime, and reform of the security sector, civilian CSDP is currently being adapted to the EU's revitalised integrated approach to conflict prevention, which envisions much closer coordination between the relevant EU actors and instruments during all stages of a conflict. By establishing tight links between the security, development, justice and home affairs (JHA), trade, climate and energy domains, the Compact aims to widen the scope of civilian missions. The goal of eradicating conflict-provoking issues such as poverty, resource scarcity, corruption or flawed governance is combined with the aim of ensuring sustainable long-term development and the societal resilience of partner countries.