From Normative Silence to Geopolitical Adaptation

Since its foundation, the European Union (EU) has represented an ambitious project of peace, prosperity, and integration on the European continent. Conceived in the aftermath of World War II, it sought to replace centuries of rivalry with an enduring framework of cooperation grounded in shared values and multilateral governance. However, in the second quarter of the twenty-first century, this Project finds itself under unprecedented strain. The return of war to Europe, growing geopoliticalrivalries, energy insecurity, and the re-emergence of hardened borders have forced the EU to redefine both its internal cohesion and its role on the global stage. The volume From Normative Silence to Geopolitical Adaptation*The European Union and Future Geopolitical Challenges explores this profound transformation through a multidisciplinary lens. Bringing together diverse scholars from different backgrounds, the book examines how the EU’s strategic, normative, and institutional identity has evolved in response to a new era of instability. The contributions collectively argue that the Union, long regarded as a “civilian” or “normative” power, is undergoing a gradual metamorphosis into a geopolitical actor shaped by crisis, resilience, and adaptation.