Key barriers to inter-organizational learning in the European security ecosystem

Marta du Vall

doi:10.31749/2451-0718-btip-2026-1-001

Published: 2026-06-03

No. 1 (2026)

Key barriers to inter-organizational learning in the European security ecosystem

Marta du Vall

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.31749/2451-0718-btip-2026-1-001

Abstract

This article analyzes the mechanisms and barriers to inter-organizational learning (IOL)
in the European Union’s security sector. The research aims to diagnose why effective IOL
remains a systemic challenge despite significant institutional and technological investments.
Using a targeted literature review and case study synthesis mapped against the
4I and Absorptive Capacity theoretical frameworks, the study identifies a fundamental
tension termed the sovereignty paradigm. The analysis of key agencies (Europol, Frontex,
ENISA) and specific operations (Paris and Brussels attacks, Joint Investigation Teams) reveals
that the main obstacles are not technical. Rather, they are rooted in political and
cultural barriers, specifically a chronic lack of trust, conflicting mandates, and cultures resistant
to critical feedback. The article concludes that improving IOL requires a strategic
shift from investing in centralized technological platforms to building bottom-up, relationship-
based human networks capable of generating trust.

Keywords:

inter-organizational learning (IOL), European security, European Union, Europol, Frontex, information sharing, trust, absorptive capacity

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du Vall, M. (2026). Key barriers to inter-organizational learning in the European security ecosystem. Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria I Praktyka Security: Theory and Practice, (1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.31749/2451-0718-btip-2026-1-001

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