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Which is the role of the European Union in dealing with crises that go beyond the nation states borders - terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts, state failure, organised crime, natural and man-made disasters? The authors assess the main challenge for the EU: the need to operate in a multidimensional setting where with a wide range of actors, such as member states, national and international NGOs, international organisations (NATO and the UN in primis), as well as a wide range of activities, rules and norms are generated for these diversified crises.

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Claudia Morsut is a postdoctoral candidate at the University of Stavanger, Norway.

Daniela Irrera is associate professor of international relations and global civil society at the University of Catania, Italy.

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