Daniel Fiott

Publications

  • Defence Technology Governance in the European Union

    Defence Technology Governance in the European Union

    The 2025 EU White Paper on Defence underscores the need for a more risk-tolerant regulatory environment to foster European defence technologies and innovation. As the EU expands its role in defence, it faces complex governance challenges, particularly in managing emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, cyber and biotech. The Union’s sui generis structure—comprising diverse state and non-state… Read more

  • Security of Supply and Interdependency: A New Approach to Strategic Autonomy and Indispensability

    Security of Supply and Interdependency: A New Approach to Strategic Autonomy and Indispensability

    This paper argues that Europe’s renewed focus on defence since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed and, in many cases, extended deep structural dependencies, particularly on the United States. It contends that traditional notions of strategic autonomy are no longer viable in an era defined by complex, globalised and commercially-driven supply chains. Instead, the paper… Read more

  • Malta’s European Defence Procurement: Neutrality, Participation and Adaptation

    Malta’s European Defence Procurement: Neutrality, Participation and Adaptation

    Malta’s engagement with EU security and defence is characterised by a delicate balancing act between neutrality and cooperation. Rooted in a constitutional commitment to non-alignment and neutrality, Maltese defence policy prioritises national sovereignty and regional security, while maintaining selective engagement with European partners. Within the EU, Malta occupies a peripheral yet symbolically relevant position. Its… Read more

  • From Inertia to Innovation? Five Years of the European Defence Fund, 2021-2025

    From Inertia to Innovation? Five Years of the European Defence Fund, 2021-2025

    On 15 April 2026, the European Commission released the results of the 2025 call under the European Defence Fund (EDF). Overall, in 2025, the Commission invested some €1.07 billion in 57 defence projects, which demonstrates the continued popularity and relevance of the EU-level funding tool. The Commission reports as part of its rollout of the 2025 EDF… Read more

  • The European Defence Union: An Article-by-Article Commentary

    The European Defence Union: An Article-by-Article Commentary

    The European Defence Union has been under construction for several years within a worrying security context. It depends fundamentally on EU law: i.e. both the rules laid down by the Member States in the Treaties and those adopted by the European institutions, as the European Union’s approach is no longer limited to the highly intergovernmental… Read more

  • Between the Berlaymont and the Glass Palace: The Relative Roles of the EU and NATO in European Defence

    Between the Berlaymont and the Glass Palace: The Relative Roles of the EU and NATO in European Defence

    Europe’s defence landscape is complex, and the relationship between the European Union and NATO is a prime example. Though only five kilometres apart in Brussels, the EU and NATO often appear worlds apart in practice. This new HCSS report by Davis Ellison and Daniel Fiott offers a clear-eyed assessment of this relationship and a roadmap for improvement.   Persistent political tensions, overlapping memberships,… Read more