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Security and defence

The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is an integral part of EU foreign policy. Through its military operations and civilian missions, the EU has contributed to regional and global stability. Since it's inception, the CSDP has responded to a shifting regional security context. It has played a vital role in crisis management in the EU's near and wider neighbourhood but it is also an essential part of the EU's broader approach to the protection of Europe and capacity building.

Although the Lisbon Treaty consolidated the EU's crisis management apparatus, the EU Global Strategy has set a new level of ambition for EU defence. In addition to the CSDP playing an operational role in the EU's integrated approach to crises, the EU Global Strategy has stressed the need for the EU to become a more capable and effective defence actor. Initiatives such as the European Defence Fund, the coordinated annual defence review (CARD) and more coherent financing for EU operations and capacity building efforts are all aimed at supporting the EU's strategic autonomy and the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. The EUISS continues to support the development of CSDP through outreach activities and expert publications.

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    22February 2017
    Women in peacebuilding: the EU & others
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    Since the 1990s, the EU's gender mainstreaming strategy has spread to its foreign policy, including its CSDP. What concrete steps has it taken to promote women in the field of peace and security?

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    31January 2017
    Adapting the Battlegroups
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    The EU Battlegroups (EUBGs) are a military rapid reaction instrument specifically tailored to the Union’s approach to crisis management. This Alert looks at how this external policy instrument can be adapted on the basis of changing needs, as well as lessons learned.

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    31January 2017
    European defence: the year ahead
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    The European Union ended 2016 having agreed to a number of fresh initiatives designed to articulate (and act on) a new level of ambition for security and defence. This Brief assesses Permanent Structured Cooperation (PeSCo) as a potential game changer in the way EU member states cooperate on security and defence.

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    09December 2016
    Winter is coming – Chilly winds across northern Europe
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    Russia’s recent actions in eastern Europe and significant military build-up along its Western border and in the enclave of Kaliningrad has rattled many nerves. This Brief explores how, as a consequence, all the countries in the Nordic-Baltic region are now rearming.

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    18November 2016
    The military and the machine
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    Artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are already disruptive technologies in civilian sectors, and the same is likely to happen when they become more prevalent in the military realm. This Alert focuses on the non-lethal applications of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and how they might impact military capabilities and alter command structures down the road.

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    18November 2016
    EU defence research in development
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    Europe’s shifting security landscape demands concrete action if the EU is to play a role in protecting the continent. This Alert takes a look at some of the pilot projects being launched to deliver tangible results on security and defence.

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    10November 2016
    Managing migration abroad – Why, where, what and how?
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    Because of the intertwining of internal and external security matters, the EU’s model of dealing with crisis is being challenged. This Brief looks at how integrating different approaches and distinct practises across the EU may come to represent the key change for policymakers.

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    10November 2016
    Civilian CSDP: what next?
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    Civilian CSDP missions were downsized in 2016, paradoxically at a time when security needs are growing – with threats largely of a non-military nature. This Brief shows how these changes call for renewed investment in civilian CSDP so that it can find its place in the evolving global crisis management architecture.

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    09November 2016
    Japan’s policy shift: arms and transfers
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    Since lifting its historic ban on arms exports in April 2014, Japan has faced an obstacle-ridden path in becoming an arms exporter. This Alert explores the track record of transfers of Japanese military equipment in the past 18 months, and how the transfers contribute to Tokyo’s strategic ambition of becoming a fully-fledged security actor in the region, even at the expense of economic benefits.

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    28October 2016
    After the EU Global Strategy – Consulting the experts – Security and defence
    Edited by

    This volume presents a compilation of memos following the EUISS workshop on the Security and Defence Implementation Plan (SDIP), in which leading experts and analysts outline their preferred level of ambition and priority areas for EU security and defence.

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