Von Werten, Interessen und Notwendigkeiten – welche (Verfassungs-) Perspektiven hat eine europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsunion?

The Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine marks a dramatic turning point for the European security order; it strikes at the core of Europe's ability to act as a global political actor, its strategic autonomy, and its identity as a community of law and peace. This makes the further development of the European Union’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) one of the central integration issues. The more rapidly the geopolitical environment changes and the more serious the consequences, the more the common European consciousness becomes aware that the often invoked Defense and Security Union must not remain purely virtual. This article first discusses the values, interests and needs of a European security and defense policy and then addresses the development steps toward a Security and Defense Union. As a result, it proposes a constructive approach to the open finality of such a Union in the making.