Withering the exogenous shock: EU policy responses to the Russian war against Ukraine

The EU responded quickly to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The analysis of defence, energy, fiscal and migration policy shows that although the EU reacted in all fields its reactions were strongly embedded in already actively pursued agendas and limited to the most pressing dysfunctionalities, except for migration where a reaction was possible by decoupling the policy response from the disputed ongoing policy agenda. As in earlier crises, exogenous shocks do not trigger ad hoc policy overhauls, let alone instant integration. Reactions depend on the partial agreement policymakers have already established. In sum, the EU is a venue for quick reactions to exogenous shocks but responses are closely linked to the ongoing every-day problem-solving for which the EU provides the infrastructure. The empirical findings on four policies highlight that the sustainability of the ad hoc policy responses will depend above all on the more fundamental decision about the EU's future fiscal governance.