Securitization of EU development policy To what extent has the EU developement policy become securitized in the post - 9/11 environment?

Abstract: The events of 9/11 and the subsequently launched ?war on terror? ushered in a new era of world politics. The new, global security agenda came to dominate international politics bringing about the securitization of a range of international policies. As a part of this process, international development cooperation has come to be increasingly articulated in the language of security as well, i.e. it has become securitized to a large degree. This has received a huge attention from both academics and the aid community, but the phenomenon of the securitization of EU development policy remained relatively under-researched. The Copenhagen School's understanding of the language of security as the main indicator of securitization provides a good departure point for the analysis of the official documents that make the framework of EU development policy. However, the Copenhagen School does not deal with the impact of rhetoric on policy and the confirmation of securitization that these practical implications provide for. The EU development policy remains primarily guided by the objectives of poverty reduction and sustainable development; however, there are clear signs of securitization brought about the post-9/11 era.