Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Logo Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law

You are here: Research Research Projects Research Groups European security revisited (ENSURE)

Logo der Ensure-Forschungsgruppe

European security revisited (ENSURE)

The law and governance of European security in a new geopolitical era

ENSURE (European Security Revisited) is an independent Max Planck Research Group led by Dr. Carolyn Moser and funded by the Max Planck Society (2022-27). Against the backdrop of major geopolitical upheavals, ENSURE is dedicated to studying the adaptation of European security and defence law and governance to address the challenges posed by new realities. This fundamental research is undertaken by an international and intercultural group of scholars with backgrounds in law and political science, pursuing interdisciplinary research to explore different facets of European security in the 21st century.

About the group

  • KEY ISSUE. European security is currently undergoing massive upheaval, not least since the war in Ukraine. In response to these profound geopolitical changes, the law and governance of security and defence in Europe are being adapted, in some cases very extensively, to meet the new realities.
  • PURPOSE. The overarching aim of ENSURE is to critically assess the significant law and governance adjustments to changing geopolitical realities with a view to advancing academic knowledge and informing policy-making on the matter.
  • QUESTION AND TOPICS. The urgent question ENSURE addresses is: What law and governance for European security in the new geopolitical era? When exploring a broad spectrum of relevant topics, including the roles of European and national actors, decision-making processes, financial arrangements, international cooperation, and strategic objectives, the group’s research spans three strands: (1) conceptual and strategic foundations; (2) actors and accountability; and (3) regulatory modalities and policy instruments.
  • RESEARCH DESIGN. To conduct this extensive research endeavour, ENSURE employs an interdisciplinary research design, combining legal analysis with tools from other disciplines, in particular political sciences. For instance, an in-depth literature review, encompassing legal and para-legal sources, is complemented by empirical findings obtained through qualitative research methods and field research.
  • TEAM. ENSURE comprises 9 team members, including the group leader, an administrative assistant, three post-doctoral researchers, and four student assistants. The researchers’ expertise covers a wide range of law and governance matters, including EU law, international law, constitutional law, criminal law, European studies, and international relations. Thanks to their diverse backgrounds, the group’s researchers entertain transnational collaborative research collaborations spanning Europe and Asia-Pacific. Importantly, the team members bring extensive professional experience from different national and international contexts, allowing them to reach a nuanced understanding of the complexities of European security issues.
  • OUTPUT. The publication record of ENSURE includes journal articles, contributions to edited volumes, and a forthcoming monograph. Additionally, team members have enriched the academic and wider public debate through blog posts and editorials. There is also a long list of invited talks and many instances of interaction with civil society. By widely disseminating its findings, the group aims to foster a nuanced understanding of the complex challenges posed by contemporary geopolitical change for European law and governance.
  • OUTREACH AND IMPACT. ENSURE is emerging as a hub of expertise, offering perspectives that go beyond academic fields to make a valuable contribution to policy processes and public understanding. Its expertise has been sought by several EU institutions (e.g. European Parliament, European Commission) and national authorities (e.g. German Parliament, Philippines Foreign Office), with some recommendations implemented. Moreover, the group’s members receive media coverage in the (European and Asian) press, on radio, and television, helping disseminate knowledge and findings.

Team

ENSURE has 10 team members, all of whom contribute to the success of the project. In addition, several affiliated researchers enrich the group with their expertise.

Dr Carolyn Moser

Dr Carolyn Moser, Research Group Leader

Dr Carolyn Moser leads the ENSURE group, in parallel to holding the Alfred Grosser Chair at Sciences Po Paris. She conducts research in the field of international and European law and governance, with a special focus on security and defence in Europe. Carolyn was trained in both law and political science at Sciences Po Paris and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University, USA), and holds a PhD from Utrecht University on EU civilian crisis management. She received several awards and distinctions for her research, notably the Otto-Hahn-Medal and the European Court of Auditors Award. Her interdisciplinary expertise is solicited also beyond academic circles, for instance by national, EU, and international institutions (eg German Parliament, European Parliament; OSCE; World Bank) and in the media (print, TV, radio). A full list of her publications can be found here.


Rocío Bargon Sánchez

Rocío Bargon Sánchez, Administrative & Language Assistant

As an administrative and language assistant, Rocío Bargon Sánchez supports the ENSURE team with her linguistic skills, cultural competences, and organizational know-how. She holds a Double Master's Degree in specialised translation and multimedia translation from the Johannes Gutenberg University and the University of Burgundy. Before joining the group, Rocío taught German as a Foreign Language and worked as a freelance translator and subtitler. Within the framework of a Bluebook traineeship at the Directorate-General for translation of the EC, Rocío had the opportunity to become part of one of the biggest translation services in the world. Her working languages are German, Spanish, French, English, and occasionally Portuguese.


Laurids Hempel

Laurids Hempel, Research Assistant

Laurids Hempel reinforces the group as a research assistant. He has been studying law at the University of Heidelberg since 2018, including two semesters abroad at the University of Montpellier, where he focused on studies in international public law and constitutional law. The latter is also his major in his law studies. Following his fascination for politics and public law, he has already worked for one year in the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Landtag (State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein) before beginning his studies. With his legal knowledge and insights gained into political decision-making processes, he is eager to assist the research of the group at the interface of international public law, European law, and national public law.


Dr Kerttuli Lingenfelter

Dr Kerttuli Lingenfelter, Senior Research Fellow

Dr Kerttuli Lingenfelter, a postdoctoral researcher, specializes in the international law of crime and critical approaches to international law. Her research focusses on European law and policy regarding extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction. Kerttuli studied at Tallinn University and the European University Institute, where she defended her PhD thesis on the legal and affective dimensions of international criminalization. She has held visiting researcher positions at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, at the Eric Castrén Institute of the University of Helsinki, and editorial positions at the European Journal of International Law and the European Journal of Legal Studies.


Chiara Miśkowiec

Chiara Miśkowiec, Student Assistant

Chiara Miśkowiec joined the group as a student assistant. She has been studying law at the University of Heidelberg since November 2020 and spent the summer semester 2023 at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. During her time abroad, she focused on the study of constitutional law and EU law. With the insights gained from her studies in Poland, she is now eager to continue her studies in Heidelberg with a focus on international law and to contribute to the ENSURE team with her language skills and her knowledge of Eastern European culture and history.


Finn Preiß

Finn Preiß, Research Assistant

Finn Preiss comes to the group as a research assistant, having studied law at the University of Heidelberg since 2019, with a focus on public international law. He deepened his knowledge of international and European law during an exchange year at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Following his interest in political decision-making, he completed an internship at the German Federal Ministry of the Environment. As security issues have aroused his interest, he is looking forward to supporting the group.


Dr Christian Schultheiss

Dr Christian Schultheiss, Senior Research Fellow

Dr Christian Schultheiss is an ENSURE Senior Research Fellow. His research has specialized in ocean governance, conflict and maritime security with a focus on Asia. He conducts research on European security in the maritime domain. He was trained in International Relations and in International Law and holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. He has had several field research positions in China, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore. He has been a policy advisor for the European External Action Service and advised the EEAS on a range of EU policy initiatives in the area of maritime security.  His publications appeared in International Relations and in International Law outlets.


Effi Spiegel

Effi Spiegel, Research Assistant

Effi Spiegel supports the group as a student assistant. She has been studying law at the University of Heidelberg since 2019. In 2021, she spent a year at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she mainly followed courses on European law. Inspired by her academic experience in Paris, she interned at the German Ministry of Finance's Directorate-General for European Policies and at the Brussels office of a German law firm. Moreover, she is regularly involved in Model European Union projects, where she has been developing a particular interest in European security. She is therefore excited to build upon her so far established experience in an interdisciplinary context.


Dr Sofia Vandenbosch

Dr Sofia Vandenbosch, Senior Research Fellow

Dr Sofia Vandenbosch is a recognized expert in the field of constitutional law comparison and human rights protection, and formerly worked for two years as a legal advisor at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a lecturer at UCLouvain. Sofia studied law and European affairs in Belgium (Liège, Leuven, Ghent) as well as in Glasgow and defended her doctoral thesis on the Europeanisation of treaty-making power at UCLouvain.



Former team members and affiliates

Lukas Märtin—research fellow (2023); previously research assistant (2019–23)

Dr Anne Marie Thévenot-Werner—affiliated researcher, Paris 2; previously visiting researcher (July 2023)

Dr Nina Boy—affiliated researcher; previously visiting senior researcher (2023)

Jule Sommer—intern (2023)

Felicitas Burst—research assistant (2022–23)

Dr Tarek Tutunji—affiliated researcher, former staff member (2019–21)


Output

 

PUBLICATIONS

  • Sofia Vandenbosch & M. Verdussen, « La Constitution et la guerre. Rapport belge », Annuaire international de justice constitutionnelle (forthcoming 2024)
  • Christian Schultheiss, Ocean Governance and Conflict in the East and South China Sea: Negotiating Natural Resources, Institutions and Power, Amsterdam University Press (forthcoming 2024)
  • Carolyn Moser, La coopération franco-allemande dans le domaine de la défense européenne – incontournable mais impossible ? In: 60 ans du traité de l’Elysée, Anne-Marie Thévenot-Werner & Laurence Nicolas-Vullierme (eds.), Editions Panthéon-Assas (forthcoming 2024)
  • Carolyn Moser, The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. Status quo and challenges in view of the war in Ukraine. In: The EU security and defence policy, Stefan Kadelbach & Rainer Hofmann (eds.), Nomos (forthcoming 2024)
  • Christian Schultheiss, Mid-Term Review of the Project: Critical Maritime Routes Indo-Pacific II (CRIMARIO II). Report commissioned by the European Commission (forthcoming 2024)
  • Carolyn Moser, Between Coordination, Harmonization and Centralization—Modes of (Inter)Action in the European Security Union. In: EU Security Law, Jan-Hendrik Dietrich & Arne Pilniok (eds.). C.H.Beck (forthcoming 2024)
  • Carolyn Moser, The Concept of Accountability. In: Research Handbook on the Accountability for Human Rights Violations: What, Who, What For, How, To What Extent, Michelle Duin & Kristin Henrard (eds.), Edward Elgar (forthcoming 2024).
  • Carolyn Moser, Multilingualism as a Homeland. A reflection on the use of French in the study and practice of law at the Max Planck Institute for International Law in Heidelberg and beyond (blogpost, MPIL100.de), March 2024
  • Effi Spiegel, Die Schuldenbremse – Verbindliche Verfassungsvorgaben im EU-rechtlichen Rahmen, StudZR Wissenschaft Online Nr.1, 152–177 (journal article), 2023.
  • Lukas Märtin & Carl Mühlbach, Katalysator der Polykrise: Das Staatsschuldenrecht und seine verfassungsgerichtliche Überprüfung als Hindernis politischer Gestaltungskraft (blogpost, Verfassungsblog), 24 November 2023.
  • Lukas Märtin, The EU Terror List and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: About the Law as an Alleged Obstacle to Political Action, MPIL Research Paper No. 2023–22 (SSRN), October 2023 (forthcoming in the Heidelberg Journal of International Law 1/2024).
  • Christian Schultheiß, What has China's Lawfare Achieved in the South China Sea? In: SEAS Perspectives 51, 1-9 2023 (journal article).
  • Carolyn Moser, Die Zeitenwende: viel Zeit, wenig Wende? In: Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht 4, 741–768 (2022) (comment).
  • Carolyn Moser, Some reflections on anticipatory governance in EU defence. In: Foresight and regulation: anticipatory governance and administrative foresight in times of transition and recovery, Sánchez Sánchez Z., Freire Braña R.B (eds.), Thompson Reuters-Aranzadi, 2023, 165–190 (book section). Updated and enlarged version of this piece is available as an open-access contribution to the MPIL Research Paper Series (research paper).
  • Christian Schultheiss, La Chine et les limites conceptuelles et pratiques de la guerre juridique en mer de Chine méridionale. In: Revue Défense Nationale 852 December 2022 (journal article).
  • Carolyn Moser, The war in Ukraine and its repercussions on Europe's security and defence constitution (blogpost, constitution.net), September 2022.
  • Carolyn Moser & Berthold Rittberger, The CJEU and EU (de-)constitutionalization—unpacking jurisprudential responses. In: International Journal of Constitutional Law 20(3) 2022 (journal article).
  • Carolyn Moser & Steven Blockmans, The extent of the European Parliament’s competence in Common Security and Defence Policy (in-depth study commissioned by SEDE), June 2022.
  • Carolyn Moser & Estelle Hoorickx, The EU mutual assistance clause, and its applicability to novel threats (e-Note; English; French), June 2022.
  • Carolyn Moser, Is Berlin's overdue defence policy adjustment also a “game changer” for Franco-German relations? (blogpost, Verfassungsblog), March 2022.

TALKS & PRESENTATIONS

  • Carolyn Moser delivers the presentation “The geopolitical conundrum: Judicial responses in a changing World—A view from Europe” at the Faculty Colloquium organized by the Sciences Po Law School in Paris on 21st March 2024.
  • Christian Schultheiß participates in the panel discussions on the “Maritime Security Challenges and the quest for greater domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific” during the 3rd SHARE.IT conference at the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific in Bankok, Thailand between the 22nd and the 24th November 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser inputs her expertise as a pannelist in the public debate entitled “Der Deutsche Bundestag und vernetzte Auslandseinsätze – Welche Verantwortung und Kontrollmöglichkeiten hat das Parlament?”, organized by the 1st Committee of Inquiry (Afghanistan) in the 20th electoral term of the German Bundestag, taking place at the Paul-Löbe-Haus in Berlin on 14th November 2023 (video recording; 01:29:10).
  • Carolyn Moser takes part in a panel discussion at the conference “The Changing Concept of National Security and the International Economic Law System” organized by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law in Lausanne on 26th October 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser gives a presentation at a joint workshop with the Federal Foreign Office regarding “Feminist Foreign Policy” in Berlin on 6th October 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser delivers a presentation at the BerMuPa conference “60 ans du traité de l'Elysée” in Paris on 28th September 2023.
  • Invited by the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines, Christian Schultheiss gives a presentation on “The impact of the Arbitral Award of 2016 seven years hence” at the Dialogue on Governance in the South China Sea, 16th-12th August 2023.
  • Guest speaker and affiliated researcher (Paris 2), Anne Marie Thévenot-Werner, inaugurates the first session of the ENSURE Colloquium with a lecture on, “The Immunity of International Organizations and Their Officials in War Zones,” at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, 12th July 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser participates in the Trier Talks on Law and Digitalisation lecture series, delivering a presentation on the topic of Cyberwarfare titled “Hackbacks – eine europarechtliche Perspektive” at the Law Faculty of the University of Trier, 6th June 2023 (further information).
  • Nina Boy contributes to the workshop 'Beyond paradigms: Tim Sinclair's social foundations of global finance' with the presentation 'Sovereign safety revisited' at the University of Warwick, 27th June 2023.
  • Nina Boy gives a presentation on Security Capitalism: Risk without return at the Symposium Crises Capitalism: Shadow banking, central banks, and new configurations of state-financial market entanglements at the Convention Center Schloss Herrenhausen in Hannover, 7–9 June 2023.
  • Christian Schultheiss participates in the first trans-regional Steering Committee Meeting of IORIS, a Maritime Domain Awareness and information-sharing platform for maritime law enforcement agencies and navies in Bali, Indonesia, 24th and 25th May 2023 (further information).
  • Carolyn Moser delivers a keynote speech on EU security and defence after the Russian invasion of Ukraine: a legal-institutional perspective at the Academy of International Affairs NRW in Bonn, 15th May 2023 (further information).
  • Christian Schultheiss speaks about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and more specifically The maritime dispute settlement and security in the Indo-Pacific, at the European Security and Defence College seminar for officials of Indo-Pacific countries and the EU in Brussels, 4th May 2023.
  • As part of the Lecture Series Ukraine, Carolyn Moser gives a presentation on The European Security Architecture in the Light of New Geopolitical Realities at the Württembergische Landesbibliothek (WLB), 3rd May 2023 (video recording).
  • Nina Boy participates in a panel discussion on The Situation and its Truth at the Workshop Situational Awareness: Sensing Insecurity and Coming Catastrophe, University of Hamburg, 27–28 April 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser holds a presentation on The EU's Common Security and Defence Policy. Status quo and challenges in view of the war in Ukraine at The XXII Walter Hallstein-Symposium “The Common Security and Defence Policy of the EU – Perspectives from Member States” at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, 30th and 31st March 2023 (further information).
  • Carolyn Moser discusses Accountability in EU Security and Defence at the Award ceremony for the 2020 and 2022 ECA Awards for research on public-sector auditing in Luxemburg, 23rd March 2023 (further information).
  • Carolyn Moser provides experts insights into The Common Security and Defence Policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the webinar on EU Law and Politics after the Russian Invasion organized by UKAEL and the Finnish branch of FIDE, 21st March 2023 (further information).
  • Carolyn Moser gives a presentation on "The Ukrainian War, a Reality Check for International Law" at the Amnesty International Members Conference in Mannheim, 19th February 2023.
  • Carolyn Moser participates as an expert in a Panel discussion in the context of the 'Europa Quartett' hosted by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Bremen, together with Dr. Helga Trüpel, Dr. Emanuel Herold and Madita Standke-Erdmann, 12th February 2023 (further information).
  • Christian Schultheiss chairs the panel discussions of the 4th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on the Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) in Hanoi, 30th November to 1st December 2022 (media mention).
  • Christian Schultheiss presents Maritime Security Challenges in ASEAN at the 2nd EU-IDFR Diplomacy Course 2022: 45 Years of ASEAN-EU Relations and the Road Ahead in Malaysia, 26th – 28th October 2022 (detailed programme).
  • Carolyn Moser holds a lecture on the EU and the War in Ukraine at the annual meeting of the Deutsche Vereinigung für Internationales Recht (DVIR), the German branch of the International Law Association (ILA) in Frankfurt a.M., 18th November 2022.

MEDIA & OUTREACH

  •  Die EU muss sich rüsten
    Carolyn Moser shares her insights with Michaela Hutterer in an expert interview on the necessity of revisiting security and defence in Europe, Newsroom of the Max Planck Society (4/2024)
  • Sicherheitsvereinbarung mit Ukraine: Das steckt dahinter
    Security expert Carolyn Moser speaks to the regional public broadcaster in Bavaria, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), on the bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, published in an online article by Barbara Kostolnik on 16 February 2024
  • Iran in Anschlagspläne verwickelt: Terror im Auftrag Teherans
    Lukas Märtin shares his expertise with TAZ journalist Jean-Philipp Baeck, published in an online article on 21 December 2023
  • Terrorlistung von Irans Revolutionsgarde:Hinters Rechtsgutachten geduckt
    Lukas Märtin provides expert input to TAZ journalist Jean-Philipp Baeck, published in an online article on 18 December 2023
  • Wie passen das Haushaltsurteil und der Klimabeschluss zusammen?
    Lukas Märtin's critique of the budget judgement is mentioned in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). Published in an online article by Katja Gelinsky on 29 November 2023
  • Mehr als bloß überleben: Welche Sicherheitsgarantien kann Deutschland der Ukraine geben?
    Security expert Carolyn Moser speaks to Der Tagesspiegel about the dangers of Europe's current security dependence on the US. Published in an online article (in German language) by Olga Konsevych on 27 November 2023
  • Course aux armements : les États-Unis raflent la mise
    Carolyn Moser provides expert insights to Karina Chabour in the TV programme 'La semaine de l'éco', broadcasted by France 24 on 17 November 2023. Available as video recording (in French language)
  • Un avis d'extradition envoyé par courrier aux ressortissants ukrainiens en Irlande ? C'est faux.
    Carolyn Moser gives expert input on the potential extradition of Ukrainian citizens by Ireland to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Published in an online article on 18 September 2023.
  • "L'Europe de la défense" cruxifiée par la guerre en Ukraine?
    Carolyn Moser gives an expert interview to Bastien Boname for the French online magazine C'actus, published in an in-depth article on European defence industrial matters on 26 September 2023
  • EU Security and Defence in a New Geopolitical Era
    In an episode of the Max Planck Lawcast, Carolyn Moser discusses with Christopher Murphy security and defence in the European Union (EU), with a particular focus on the transformative impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The podcast is available here.
  • Les touristes russes n’ont-ils vraiment plus le droit de venir en Europe avec une voiture ou un téléphone ?
    Carolyn Moser shares expert insights into the legal aspects of the recent European sanctions imposed on Russia, particularly regarding the potential impact on Russian citizens travelling to the European Union with the French news service Libération. Published in an online article on 14 September 2023.
  • VerfassungsPod #3: Verfassung im Krieg
    Carolyn Moser provides input as an expert to the podcast of Jochen Schlenk and Maximilian Steinbeis on the rules and regulations regarding German (and European) defence, available here.
  • Zeitenwende in Europa
    Carolyn Moser gives an expert interview to Julia Weigelt (NDR) about the geopolitical awakening of Europe and the EU in the wake of the Russian war on Ukraine for the NDR Info Podcast "Streitkräfte und Strategien" (armed forces and strategies), broadcasted on 19th September 2022, available here (in German language).