From Operation Atalanta to Operation Aspides: Greece’s Maritime Turn in the European Union’s Security and Defence Policy, 2008–2024

Abstract This article examines Greece’s evolving role within the European Union’s (EU’s) maritime security architecture from 2008 to 2025. While existing scholarship has predominantly framed Greek security and defence policy through the lens of its historical rivalry with Türkiye and a defensive posture focused on the Eastern Mediterranean, this research demonstrates a broader and more dynamic engagement in EU-led naval missions. Through an empirical analysis of Greece’s participation in all four EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) maritime missions, as well as its contribution to the formulation of the 2014 EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS), the author challenges prevailing interpretations of Greece as a reactive and regionally confined actor. The article contributes to both academic and policy debates by reinterpreting Greek security and defence policies and strategic thinking within broader European frameworks and offering new insights into the role of medium-sized EU member states in shaping CSDP maritime security.