The European Union’s Contribution to Global Nuclear Security Governance: An Institutional and Policy Analysis

Abstract

This research paper looks at how the EU contributes to global nuclear security governance, specifically how the EU is influencing the international landscape of nuclear security and safety. The concern is the weak and disjointed nature of global nuclear governance, with overlapping authorities and uncertainties about compliance by states, leaving clear gaps in nuclear security mechanisms. EU's political influence and its regulatory power remain underutilized as far as institutional coherence and impact on global policies are concerned. The study is informed by Institutionalism and Global Governance Theory and focuses on the manner in which supranational institutions coordinate norms, compliance mechanisms and transnational policy diffusion. The approach used for the investigation is a qualitative research methodology with the use of document analysis and comparative policy review. The data comprises EU treaties, European Commission policy documents, reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as selected case studies from EU-funded nuclear security programs from 2005-2025. These findings indicate that the EU plays a substantial role in the form of regulatory harmonization, funding nuclear safety projects, export controls and capacity building initiatives in partner states. However policy coherence and responsiveness to global challenges can be hampered by institutional fragmentation of EU agencies and member states at times. The measurable outcomes are improvements in the tracking systems for nuclear material, bolstering of inspection regimes and strengthening of international cooperation frameworks in the areas where the EU provides technical assistance. The overall finding is that the EU is a normative and operational player in the field of global nuclear security governance, but that better coordination within the EU and more multilateral cooperation are needed for it to be more effective.

Keywords: European Union, Nuclear Security Governance, Institutionalism, Global Governance, IAEA, Policy Analysis, Nuclear Safety Cooperation