Key barriers to inter-organizational learning in the European security ecosystem

Marta du Vall | Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University
ORCID 0000-0003-1245-730X

„Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka”, 1/2026, s. 21-34
https://doi.org/10.31749/2451-0718-btip-2026-1-001
PDF: English

Key barriers to inter-organizational learning in the European security ecosystem

Abstract: This article analyzes the mechanisms and barriers to inter-organizational learning (IOL) in the European Union’s security sector. The research aims to diagnose why effective IOL remains a systemic challenge despite significant institutional and technological investments. Using a targeted literature review and case study synthesis mapped against the 4I and Absorptive Capacity theoretical frameworks, the study identifies a fundamental tension termed the sovereignty paradigm. The analysis of key agencies (Europol, Frontex, ENISA) and specific operations (Paris and Brussels attacks, Joint Investigation Teams) reveals that the main obstacles are not technical. Rather, they are rooted in political and cultural barriers, specifically a chronic lack of trust, conflicting mandates, and cultures resistant to critical feedback. The article concludes that improving IOL requires a strategic shift from investing in centralized technological platforms to building bottom-up, relationship-based human networks capable of generating trust.

Key words: inter-organizational learning (IOL), European security, European Union, Europol, Frontex, information sharing, trust, absorptive capacity