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The EU and the Military Dimensions of Ukraine’s Recovery
When accepting the Charlemagne Prize of Aachen on behalf of the Ukrainian people in May 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy boldly proclaimed that ‘Ukraini- ans will always make Europe stronger’. He also cautiously warned that while history is built on victories, it also remembers defeats. It is clear that European leaders…
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EU Defence after Versailles: An Agenda for the Future
This analysis focuses on developments in European Union (EU) security and defence since the Versailles Summit, held on 10–11 March 2022. It shows how the Union’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine has unleashed and spurred on a range of operational, industrial and political initiatives that will influence security and…
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Purchasing Power: Towards Joint Procurement and Planning in European Defence?
Since 2016, the European Union has financially supported the joint development of defence innovation and capabilities. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the Union sought to develop its defence industrial base for the production ammunition and equipment. This step comes with an emphasis on “joint-ness”: the idea that Europeans need…
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Qualified Majority Voting in EU Foreign Policy: A Cost of Non-Europe Report
The following study deals with qualified majority voting (QMV) and the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) of the European Union (EU). As the EU develops into a geopolitical actor, it is necessary to analyse its existing and future foreign policy decision-making procedures. However, a series of high-profile instances have…
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Two Fronts, One Goal: Euro-Atlantic Security in the Indo-Pacific Age
This paper outlines how Europe can contribute to alleviating the “two-front” predicament in U .S. global strategy . It shows how Europeans can help free up the United States’ strategic bandwidth in Europe so as to enable a proper U .S. prioritization of China without weakening Europe’s deterrence architecture. The…
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When the War Ends: Rebuilding Ukraine and European Security
€383 billion. This is the amount of investment the World Bank believes is required to reconstruct Ukraine over a 10-year period. Ukraine’s own government puts the post-war reconstruction bill at about €679 billion over 10 years. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development puts the figure at €250 billion for 5 years,…
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NATO and the Current Security Context
In many respects, the NATO Vilnius Summit of 11-12 July 2023 revealed one of the core issues facing the alliance today: how, when and if to enlarge to include Ukraine. Enlargement has always been a sensitive and contested issue for NATO, but the prospect of taking on a country that…
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Analyzing the Outcomes of the 2023 NATO Summit
The NATO Summit in Vilnius on 11-12 July 2023 came at a testing time for the alliance. With the Ukrainian offensive, Russia’s war on Ukraine has entered a delicate phase. NATO allies and EU member states are turning to questions about what the post-war settlement might look like, and there…
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In Orbit: The European Union, Defence and Space Domain Awareness
Following the March 2023 publication of the European Union’s Space Strategy for Security and Defence, the Union has moved into new conceptual territory. In thinking about how to ensure its security and defence in outer space, the Union has emphasised the importance of “Space Domain Awareness”. The meaning of this…
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Votes, Vetoes, Values: Foreign Interference, QMV and EU Foreign Policy in a Competitive Age
Abstract In early May 2023, a group of nine European Union countries called for reform of the way the Union takes decisions in its foreign and security policy. Traditionally a field where consensus and unanimity are the norm, pleas in favour of Qualified Majority Voting – where a single state…
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The Weight of Expectations: The EU and the Protection of Europe
One of the consequences of the war on Ukraine has been a greater realisation that the defence industry matters to the European Union (EU). This may seem like an odd statement given that the Union started to stimulate its defence industry after the EU Global Strategy with frame- works and tools such as the…
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Cooperation in an Era of Strategic Competition: EU-NATO Relations in the Context of War and Rivalry
This Policy Brief looks at the growing relations and cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It does so in the context of a return to war in Europe and growing strategic rivalry between the United States (US) and China. Europeans have long been…
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Disorder: the War and Russia’s Economic Statecraft
Abstract Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the West has looked to support Kyiv and impose crushing economic measures on the Russian economy. Sanctions and divestment have punctured a hole in Russia’s war fighting machine, but there are also fears that the Kremlin has been able to use…
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In Every Crisis an Opportunity? European Union Integration in Defence and the War on Ukraine
Russia’s war on Ukraine has upended the European security order. Ukraine has requested EU membership, unprecedented sanctions have been imposed on Russia, European countries have shipped weapons and munitions to Ukraine and NATO has shored up its military presence. Despite such action, is it possible to speak of a transformative…
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Counter-order: Chinese Power, the West and Geo-economics
Abstract The United States (US)-led world order that has prevailed for the past few decades is being contested by rival powers such as China. A crucial aspect of great power competition is economic statecraft and China is skilfully fusing various aspects of its economic diplomacy and financial strength to undermine…
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Order: the Financing of Alliances and Western Power
Abstract Russia’s war on Ukraine and the rise of China are raising serious questions about order in international politics. If the West is to have a fighting chance at maintaining its military supremacy and upholding global order, it needs to answer some fundamental questions about the United States (US)-led alliance…
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Strategic Competition: Toward a Genuine Step-change for Europe’s Defense Industry?
Since 2016 the European Union has embarked on a step-change in the way it financially supports and incentivizes defense-industrial cooperation. The year 2022 will go down as another important moment in this process with the EU announcing a series of measures, such as joint defense procurement and joint planning and…
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Navigating the Euro-Atlantic Defence Innovation Landscape
This report set out to analyse emerging transatlantic defence innovation systems and the extent to which EU and NATO efforts in the domain overlap, are in conflict or have potential synergies. The overarching finding is that EU and NATO systems are separate but heavily interdependent. They are separate in terms…
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Secuelas y réplicas: Europa tras la guerra
Desde que hace ahora un año Vladimir Putin ordenara invadir su país vecino, la guerra en Ucrania se ha convertido en la cuestión central del panorama estratégico europeo y en uno de los eventos que más ha convulsionado el orden -o el desorden- internacionaldesde el fin de la Guerra Fría.…
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Annus Horribilis: Russia’s War, Ukraine’s Struggle, Europe’s Future
Abstract One year on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe continues to support Kyiv with military equipment and financial and political support. The bravery of Ukrainians is unparalleled, but, to truly support Ukraine, Europe needs to answer serious questions about its defence. Potential future turbulence in the transatlantic relationship means…
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Agenda Exterior: escenarios para una guerra
Lo único que sabemos con certeza es que la guerra terminará algún día. Hasta que llegue ese día, el pueblo ucraniano seguirá luchando por su patria con el apoyo de la UE, la OTAN y sus socios. Uno de los principales aspectos psicológicos de la guerra ha sido sacudir a…
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A Stellar Moment? Spain, Strategy and European Space
This analysis looks at the shifting nature of space, security and defence in the EU. It provides an account of the growing geopolitical contest in space and stresses the vital importance of space for Europe’s strategic autonomy. What is more, the analysis looks at Spain’s approach to space, security and…
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Yearbook of European Security 2022
Abstract The 2022 Yearbook of European Security provides an overview of events in 2021 that were significant for European security. The book charts major developments in the EU’s external action and security and defence policy. Divided into region and issue-specific sections, this Yearbook contains entries on the EU’s multilateral efforts…
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Centre of Gravity: Security and Defence in the Indo-Pacific – What Role for the European Union?
The Indo-Pacific region has emerged as the centre of gravity of global military competition, economic growth, and technological innovation. Whatever happens in the Indo-Pacific is likely to have a pervasive impact on the structure and future of international order, and the norms and institutions Europeans hold so dear. Moreover, as…
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The Strategic Compass and EU Space-based Defence Capabilities
The European Union relies on space for its economic sovereignty and security and defence. Without space-based capabilities, the EU could not enjoy any degree of strategic autonomy in security and defence. Since the adoption and endorsement of the Strategic Compass, space has only increased its relevance for the EU in…
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Europe and the South: the Maritime Dimension
Europe’s southern neighbourhood, for which the delineation varies according to the geopolitical and institutional frameworks considered, is critical from an economic and geopolitical perspective. Europe’s South remains affected by an arc of instability, running up from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the eastern fringes of the Middle East, encompassing…
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Relative Dominance: Russian Naval Power in the Black Sea
Russia is struggling in its war on Ukraine. Kyiv’s military advances have allowed the country to seize back more of its territory, vindicating Western efforts to deliver military equipment and weapons to Kyiv to stem Russian advances and to enable Ukrainian forces to retake territory Russia had annexed. In response,…
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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…
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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 Read more
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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.…
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Daniel Fiott 