Enhancing resilience: the state of play in NATO, European Union, and Poland
Monika Lipert-Sowa | Minister-Counsellor, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland
ORCID 0000-0002-6979-8626
„Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka”, 3/2022, s. 287-296
DOI 10.48269/2451-0718-btip-2022-3-021
PDF: English
Abstract: This article presents the current state of play on resilience in NATO, the EU, and Poland. It argues that in the past couple of years, the international security environment has undergone dramatic transitions. On top of existing challenges, new threats (including hybrid) and large-scale crises (i.e., pandemics) are emerging. This complex security situation requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. Building resilience at state, local, and societal level is key.
This notion is well understood both in the EU and NATO. Resilience is rooted in the Alliance’s founding Treaty. Article 3 of the Washington Treaty claims that each Ally must first take care of its individual security. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and, subsequently, the COVID-19 pandemic stressed – both in NATO and the EU – the need to be better prepared and able to respond to complex crisis. In the last couple of years, the EU’s approach to resilience has been more inward-looking. From building resilience by the EU, it has shifted to resilience of the EU. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine puts the West to a test, including a resilience test. Opening their homes to ca. 2 million Ukrainian refugees, the Polish people have passed the test and proved, inter alia, that they are able to deal effectively with uncontrolled movement of people.