Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Professor Ben FarrandORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
The European Union (EU) is currently experiencing significant geopolitical shifts and is concerned that its dependence on externally produced or foreign-owned technologies impacts its strategic autonomy, with implications for its security and economy. In response, it has placed sovereignty at the forefront of its agenda and at the centre of its relations with the world. Academic literature has so far paid limited attention to understanding the interactions between geopolitics, perceptions of technological dependence, and the impact on policy governance in cybersecurity. Bearing this gap in mind, the article asks, ‘how is the EU’s discourse of sovereignty and reducing external dependencies shaping its approach to cybersecurity?’ Applying regulatory mercantilism and policy analysis applied to three case studies - semiconductors, data servers, and cybersecurity certifications – the article finds that the EU’s depiction of its cybersecurity as impacted by dependence on externally manufactured products resulted in the merging of security and economic rationales. This has translated into efforts for greater control, either through promoting production within the European physical space through security-influenced industrial policies or exerting regulatory influence beyond Europe’s borders when this is not possible. Where globalization is believed to have failed, regulatory mercantilism becomes more likely as a policy approach.
Author(s): Farrand B, Carrapico H, Turobov A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Affairs
Year: 2024
Volume: 100
Issue: 6
Pages: 2379-2397
Print publication date: 04/11/2024
Online publication date: 04/11/2024
Acceptance date: 16/08/2024
Date deposited: 16/08/2024
ISSN (print): 0020-5850
ISSN (electronic): 1468-2346
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae231
DOI: 10.1093/ia/iiae231
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
