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Rethinking the EU’s Approach to Space: The Case of Security and Defence
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has sent shockwaves across Europe and the world. While the current war is a geopolitical turning point, it remains unclear whether it will trigger a quantum leap forward for European defence policies and for the role of the European Union as a security provider.
This Report investigates whether we can expect a further convergence of European strategic cultures, and on collaboration among Europeans to generate the required military capabilities and integrate their forces. Most importantly, it finds that the timely implementation of the EU’s Strategic Compass will be a decisive test to establish whether Europeans are rising to the challenge of taking more responsibility for their security and defence.
Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2022 (Edited by Giovanni Grevi and Serena Giusti
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L’Europe doit investir davantage dans la défense collective
Depuis le début de la guerre en Ukraine , la plupart des pays de l’Union européenne ont annoncé l’intention d’augmenter, dans les années à venir, leurs dépenses militaires d’environ 200 milliards d’euros. De telles hausses budgétaires représentent à la fois une opportunité et un défi pour l’UE.
Les Echos, 2022
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Collective Defence Investment: Europe Must do More and at a Faster Pace
If Europeans really intend to build a common defence industry that will allow them to face the new challenges ahead and become a credible player in the international security arena, they must do and spend more together, and they must do it now, a group of ten defence experts write.
Euractiv, 2022
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L’Union européenne et la Boussole stratégique : un moment décisif ?
En pleine guerre de la Russie contre l’Ukraine, l’Union européenne (UE) a publié en mars 2022 sa stratégie de sécurité et de défense tant attendue, appelé Strategic Compass, soit la Boussole stratégique. Ce document est le premier du genre pour l’UE et il peut être assimilé à ce que les États appellent normalement un Livre blanc sur la défense. À cet égard, la Boussole stratégique est le document à lire si l’on veut mieux comprendre les priorités de l’Union en matière de sécurité et de défense, et la manière dont elle entend garantir ses intérêts et ses valeurs dans le monde. Contrairement à la stratégie globale de l’UE, qui n’a reçu qu’un accueil relativement passif de la part du Conseil de l’UE en 2016, la Boussole stratégiquea non seulement été adoptée par les ministres des Affaires étrangères et de la Défense, mais les chefs d’État et de gouvernement de l’UE l’ont également approuvée. C’est important, car cela montre à quel point la sécurité et la défense sont devenues une question clé pour les dirigeants de l’UE.
Toutefois, face à la situation déchirante en Ukraine, peut-on raisonnablement penser qu’un seul document de 46 pages peut transformer l’UE en un acteur plus crédible et plus décisif dans les relations internationales ? Il est évident qu’aucun document stratégique unique n’a jamais été une solution miracle pour l’action. Néanmoins, la Boussole stratégique est un document hybride qui, d’une part, caractérise l’environnement international et les menaces auxquelles l’UE est confrontée et, d’autre part, détaille 81 points d’action spécifiques que l’UE et ses États-membres doivent mettre en œuvre d’ici 2030 au plus tard. Il convient d’examiner comment la Boussole peut contribuer à la construction de la souveraineté européenne dans les années à venir.
Revue Défense Nationale, 2022, No. 852
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European Maritime Strategies for the Middle East – Struggling for Relevance?
The Middle East is a major area of maritime trade, given the vast oil supplies in the Persian Gulf region and several gas exploitation and exploration projects in the Mediterranean. The development of these prospects and maritime trade, however, are threatened by acts of piracy and terrorist attacks in the waters between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Such threats have frequently prompted insurance companies to raise their premiums for merchant ships that navigate these waters. In addition, the Middle East has been the arena of fierce competition not only among the external actors who have economic and strategic interests in the region but also among local powers aiming to position themselves as the uncontested hub for maritime freight. The papers in this series of Insights explore how the countries of the Middle East and key external actors envision their maritime strategies for the region.
Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, 2022, No. 282
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The Strategic Compass: A New Era for EU Defence?
In the midst of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the EU published its long-awaited securityand defence strategy called the “Strategic Compass”. This document is the first of its kind for the EU, and it can be likened to an EU “white book” on defence. The Strategic Compass is certainly the document to read if one wants to better understand the Union’s priorities and ambitions in security and defence1. Faced with the harrowing situation in Ukraine, however, it is clear that no single strategic document can – alone – boostEU security and defence.
Défense: Géopolitique & Sécurité, 2022, No. 212
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Solid Foundation, Rocky Future? Assessing Transatlantic Defence and Security Ties after NATO’s Madrid Summit
Russia’s war on Ukraine has raised serious questions about European security, but it has also led to much greater transatlantic unity. This Policy Insights paper argues that the war on Ukraine has given rise to a new consensus among large parts of NATO and the EU to reinvest in collective security.
Charting the progress made by both NATO and the EU, this paper looks at how transatlantic partners are addressing questions related to the so-called need to balance between Europe and the Indo-Pacific, EU strategic autonomy and the implementation of NATO’s Strategic Concept and the EU’s Strategic Compass, as well as the conclusions of the NATO Madrid Summit. It finds that there are several areas for enhanced EU-NATO cooperation, but issues pertaining to future US elections, defence industrial policy and NATO’s force posture could sorely undermine transatlantic unity.
CEPS Policy Paper, 2022 (written with Michael J. Mazarr).
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Gearing up for a Competitive Age: The EU as a Maritime Actor
With the Strategic Compass, the European Union has set itself a high level of ambition for its maritime security. The Compass calls for a higher level of investment in high-end naval capabilities and it underlines the importance of ongoing capability projects such as the European Patrol Corvette. The Strategic Compass also calls for the Union to be better prepared for maritime operations. Accordingly, the European Union must strive to enhance the presence of its existing naval operations in the Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa, and it must find ways to support non- European Union engagements such as Operation Agénor. Additionally, it is time for the Union to undertake more live exercises at sea, increase its number of port calls and expand its areas of maritime interest.
Études Marine, Centre d’études stratégiques de la Marine, 2022, No. 21
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The Fog of War: Russia’s War on Ukraine, European Defence Spending and Military Capabilities
When war hits, some degree of analytical humility is required. No one knows how – or when – Russia’s war on Ukraine will end and the effects on European security over the medium to longer term (i.e. the next five to ten years) are unknown. Despite the analytical fog that shrouds Russia’s war, discussions increasingly focus on how European countries should support Ukraine, how Europe and the United States should view and engage with Russia during and after the conflict and to what extent Europe should bolster its own defences. Such questions have already found material form. Think of the wide-scale provision of weapons and lethal equipment to Ukraine, the enhanced military presence on the European Union’s and NATO’s eastern flank, the announcements of increased defence spending in Europe, the sanctions designed to disable the Kremlin’s war machine or the calls for Ukraine to be speedily brought into the EU.
Intereconomics, 2022, Vol. 57, No. 3
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Agenda Exterior: OTAN y autonomía estratégica europea
La vuelta a la defensa colectiva en Europa ha provocado, como era de esperar, una revitalización de la alianza de la OTAN. No solo Finlandia y Suecia están llamando a la puerta de la OTAN, sino que la huella militar de la alianza en el este de Europa ha aumentado tras la brutal guerra de Rusia contra Ucrania. Washington ha reforzado ciertamente su presencia militar en Europa, y está haciendo considerables esfuerzos para ayudar a Ucrania. Sin embargo, la realidad es que EEUU no quiere que su legítima atención a China se vea frustrada por la guerra en Europa. Para la OTAN, esto significa necesariamente centrarse en las tareas principales de la Alianza, pero ¿dónde deja esto a la UE? ¿Acaso la Unión, más que la OTAN, está ahora en situación de “muerte cerebral”? En las últimas semanas, los europeos han hecho gala de una mezcla de resultados en cuanto a la superación de las dependencias energéticas o la producción de reservas propias de equipo militar. Washington parece, una vez más, el único actor que puede defender a Europa de forma realista. Sin embargo, los informes sobre la muerte de la autonomía estratégica de la UE son quizá muy exagerados. No se puede afirmar que una Unión más fuerte signifique una OTAN más fuerte, si no se aplica igualmente a la inversa. La renovación de la Alianza consiste más bien en una reorientación de las mentes europeas, de la que la UE forma parte y, en algunas áreas, lidera. Puede que en el futuro reciba otros nombres, pero la autonomía ha llegado para quedarse, sobre todo porque significa que los europeos hacen más por su propia defensa, incluso cuando no quieren hacerlo.
Politica Exterior, 2022
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Daniel Fiott 