Transformation of the security and economic dimensions of EU foreign policy after 2022 in the context of crises in Eastern Europe

This bachelor thesis examines the transformation of the security and economic dimensions of the European Union’s external action after 2022 in the context of crises in Eastern Europe. Its main objective is to assess whether and to what extent selected security, trade and regulatory areas reflect a shift towards economic security and geoeconomic thinking. The thesis links the theoretical discussion of the EU’s normative power with the concepts of economic security, geoeconomics and weaponized interdependence. The empirical part is based on a descriptive analysis of selected economic indicators for the years 2014, 2021 and 2024, as well as on a qualitative assessment of three EU instruments: the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The findings show that after 2022 the European Union has not abandoned its normative framework, but has increasingly complemented it with an emphasis on resilience, protection and the strategic management of dependencies. In the defence area, the analysis identifies rising expenditure and a higher share of investment in capabilities and modernization. In the area of strategic dependencies, the thesis identifies a reduction in some energy-related vulnerabilities and signs of diversification of supply relationships, although this development has not been uniform across all areas under review. The case studies of ACI, FSR and CBAM confirm that the EU single market increasingly functions not only as an instrument of integration and standard-setting, but also as a means of protection and strategic influence. The thesis concludes that the transformation of the EU’s external action after 2022 can be understood as a gradual geoeconomic shift rather than a complete change in the EU’s identity as an international actor.