Youri den Besten on Strategic Autonomy and the 'kitschy' nature of social media

What kind of mind-set is needed to carry out ground-breaking research as we do at UUCePP? UUCePP researchers introduce themselves in brief interviews conducted by Elisabetta Manunza and Fredo Schotanus. Today: PhD candidate Youri den Besten.

'Who' and 'what' are you?

"My name is Youri den Besten and I started as a PhD candidate at Utrecht University Centre for Public Procurement (UUCePP) last March. Utrecht University is common ground for me, as I obtained my Master’s degree in Law & Economics at this university. After I graduated in 2022, I worked for the Dutch government as a policy officer for about three years. During this period, I had the chance to work at the Embassy of the Netherlands to France in Paris, and the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union in Brussels. Both placements provided me with the opportunity to get acquainted with EU policy, and offered me valuable insights into how things work in practice. Besides, I also developed a passion for European politics."

"My experiences in Paris and Brussels are closely related to my PhD-research subject: EU Strategic Autonomy and European Defence Industries. Although my research has a legal focus and centers on interpreting and evaluating EU legislation, the governance of the European defence industry is highly political. To fully understand how the law functions, it is essential to grasp the (geo)political developments that drive and shape it. This is where my previous experiences as a policy officer prove valuable."

My research focuses on the question to what extent collaborative defence procurement can be legally effective to strengthen EU strategic autonomy.

What are you working on, and why?

"My research focuses on EU strategic autonomy and the European defence industry. In recent decades, key developments such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but also the Covid-19 pandemic and the United States’ isolationist "America First" stance under President Trump, have accelerated the EU’s need to secure a more autonomous role in the global order. Strategic autonomy refers to the EU’s capacity to maintain the freedom to cooperate with third countries when this serves its strategic interests, while retaining the institutional and industrial capabilities to act independently when external dependencies are assessed as politically or economically unacceptable. While EU strategic autonomy spans sectors like energy, raw materials, technology and cybersecurity, my research specifically addresses the European defence industry."

"Europe’s defence industry is fragmented. Member States often tend to prioritize domestic industrial and political considerations over collective EU objectives when deciding which weapons to develop and procure, using EU cooperation often as a framework to safeguard national production capacities and employment. This inefficient model could result in incompatible systems – such as different German and French battle tanks – and reduced cooperation, leading to lower quality and higher costs. One of the consequences this may have, is that EU countries turn to external suppliers, particularly the United States, creating more dependency on non-European sources."

"To decrease these dependencies and to address the fragmented European defence industry, the Commission has proposed collaborative defence procurement as a key instrument to enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy. The idea is that if Member States aggregate their demand, this could lead to promising economies of scale, enhanced interoperability and better defence industrial cooperation. To stimulate collaborative defence procurement, Member States can receive EU subsidies if they meet specific criteria, such as ensuring that procured equipment is produced within the EU."

"However, much is still unclear about how the Commission envisions collaborative defence procurement. In plain terms, my research therefore focuses on the question to what extent collaborative defence procurement can be legally effective to strengthen EU strategic autonomy in the European defence industry. To answer this question, I will analyze what EU strategic autonomy legally entails within the European defence industry, what collaborative defence procurement legally means, and how it fits into the current legal framework of EU public procurement. The final part of my research aims to offer recommendations to improve the EU’s regulatory framework for collaborative defence procurement, to enhance the instrument’s role in strengthening EU strategic autonomy the European defence industry. My research builds on the work of Nathan Meershoek and Bram Vroege."

Our world seems to be in a continuous state of various crises: can you indicate for one (or possibly several) of these crises how this affects your research?

"A crisis closely associated with my research is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion has prompted national governments of EU Member States to drastically increase their defence investments. In addition to increased investments, the Russian aggression should also prompt these national governments and politicians to reflect on the Union’s values and objectives. The EU-treaties are clear: economic efficiency is pivotal, but subordinate to promoting peace, values and the wellbeing of the Union’s peoples."

"This raises the question why European countries continued to uphold lucrative gas-imports contracts with Russia since the country first attacked Ukraine in 2014, clearly at the detriment of human rights and the rule of law. These reflections are also relevant for public procurement because similar to trade deals, this instrument too is not just about efficiently allocating economic resources, but also about fairness, transparency and proportionality."

"In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is illustrative for the end of the post-1945 liberal international world, which rested on rules, institutions and multilateral cooperation. The emerging multipolar order seems to rest more on blocs of countries competing for power instead of cooperation. This shift affects my research because it is one of the core reasons for the Commission to strive for (more) EU strategic autonomy."

Which person inspires you and what would you like to ask her/him?

"A person who inspires me is Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam. Being a mayor seems like an incredibly challenging job to me because you have to make politically sensitive decisions that inevitably disappoint part of the population. Despite all the criticism Halsema faces in the media and from national politics – rarely about the substance of her work and almost always directed at her personally – she remains calm and is never unwilling to publicly explain her decisions. Beyond her courage, I also admire her rhetorical talent and knowledge of our democratic constitutional state. The latter is increasingly under pressure in today’s political climate, which sometimes makes me feel cynical. Since I imagine this sentiment is even stronger for Halsema, I would like to ask her how she manages to stay focused on the facts instead of becoming personal or cynical, even when others do."

Name the book/movie/thinker that impressed you the most, shaped you, would like to read or see you 100 more times, and why?

"A book that really impressed me is The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. The story takes place in Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s, during the Soviet occupation. According to Kundera, life under this communist dictatorship becomes kitsch: everything that is dirty, ambiguous, or confrontational must disappear in favor of the dictatorship’s collective ideal image, with imposed emotions of love for the fatherland and glorification of leaders. Because everything becomes the same and individuality disappears from society, everything seems to repeat itself eternally and every action is burdened with an unbearable responsibility, making life itself unbearable."

"It is exactly the fact that everything happens only once and you cannot practice for life – the sketch is immediately the painting, Kundera writes – that provides the lightness that makes life so beautiful. The paradox is that this lightness not only makes life bearable, but also meaningful. As an example, Kundera cites the French Revolution; if it were to repeat itself endlessly it would be meaningless, mere kitsch. It is precisely the fact that it occurred once, at the right time and in the right place, that makes the French Revolution such a crucial event."

"Without implying that current times are comparable to a communist Soviet dictatorship, I do think Kundera's views are very relevant to our society. Social media makes it seem as if everyone's life is unfolding according to a specific script, causing everyone to have the same as Kundera would say ‘kitschy’ experiences. Moreover, the experience itself is no longer enough; it must be relived endlessly through photos and videos. At the risk of sounding like a boomer, it’s precisely the escape from the day-to-day issues that I find so enjoyable about doing research. Rather than being caught in the instant stimuli of social media and the fast pace of society, research gives me the chance to reflect deeply on societal issues and fully develop my thoughts. I find that very valuable."