"Another taboo has fallen" : Navigating the European Peace Facility post the Russian aggression against Ukraine

Abstract: In March 2021, the EU launched the European Peace Facility (EPF), a financial instrument that allows the EU to commonly fund peacekeeping and military missions. However, following the Russian aggression against Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022, the EPF has primarily been used to provide Ukraine with lethal military equipment. This research uses a modified version of Flexible Pattern Matching to examine if the original intent and structure of the EPF are uniform with how it has been used by the EU to provide support for Ukraine. The result indicates that while there are some deviations from the intended and actual use of the EPF, the instrument has been vital in the EU’s rapid response to provide support to Ukraine. The research also highlights the normative power of the EPF, a key aspect of the instrument that was not predicted when it was launched. This analysis is relevant to both researchers and policymakers, offering insight into the EPF’s role in the EU’s hard power shift, while also providing suggestions for enhancing the EPF’s effectiveness in supporting Ukraine.