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Conscription as an element in European Union preparedness
Once considered an issue of the past, conscription has increasingly made its way back onto European, EU and global policy agendas in recent years, mainly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As EU defence policy has steadily progressed, with new procurement initiatives and defence industry reinforcement, a parallel discussion on the EU's armed forces is evolving in the context of the EU's common security and defence policy (CSDP). Europe's civilian and military preparedness and readiness has ...
The EU's new bilateral security and defence partnerships
The Strategic Compass, adopted by the 27 EU Member States in March 2022 – only weeks after the onset of Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression on Ukraine –emphasised the need for robust partnerships, for the EU to be able to achieve its objectives in the area of security and defence. Alongside 'acting' (operations), 'securing' (resilience) and 'investing', 'partnering' is one of the four main pillars of the Compass. The document itself outlines specific targets and deadlines to measure progress ...
White paper on the future of European defence
In her political guidelines presented on 18 July 2024, European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen identified defence as a priority and a key sector in completing the single market. An important part of that effort will be building a 'European Defence Union'. To frame the new approach and to identify defence investment needs, von der Leyen committed that the new Commission would present a white paper on the future of European defence within the first 100 days of taking office. Subsequently ...
Financing the European defence industry
Although the European defence industry is generally competitive, more than a decade of underinvestment has kept it from reaching its full potential. That has been the result of decisions made by Member States since the end of the Cold War regarding their budgets and policies in a completely different geopolitical environment. The significant under-investment in European defence is demonstrated by the severe difficulties the European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) has in obtaining ...
European defence industry programme (EDIP)
On 24 February 2022, Russia's unjustified aggression against Ukraine signalled the return of high-intensity warfare to Europe. In response, and to ensure the EU's long-term goal of achieving defence industrial readiness, the European Commission adopted the first-ever European defence industrial strategy (EDIS) on 5 March 2024. As an immediate and central step to deliver the strategy, the Commission put forward a proposal for a European defence industry programme (EDIP) regulation, also on 5 March ...
Ϸվ and foreign and security policy: The 1991 Pöttering report
Ϸվ has, for a long time, demanded a more integrated and purposeful European foreign, security, and defence policy. It has also argued for an enhanced role for itself in this policy field. With the European Union facing multiple external challenges, it is timely to explore Ϸվ's long-standing demands for a more robust collective approach to issues such as defence and arms procurement. In June 1991, the European Ϸվ adopted the Political Affairs Committee report on ...
Annual report on implementation of the common security and defence policy, 2023
During the second February plenary session, the European Ϸվ will vote on its 2023 annual report on implementation of the common security and defence policy (CSDP). This year's report reflects ground breaking developments in EU defence since 2022. Its main areas of focus include Russia's war on Ukraine and the EU's response, the situation in the Middle East, implementation of the Strategic Compass and EU defence initiatives.
European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act (EDIRPA)
The Commission put forward its proposal for a regulation establishing the European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act (EDIRPA) on 19 July 2022. The key goals were to address the EU's most urgent and critical defence capability gaps and incentivise the EU Member States to procure defence products jointly. On 27 June, the co-legislators reached a political agreement on EDIRPA. Ϸվ adopted the EDIRPA Regulation on 12 September and the Council followed suit on 9 October ...
European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act (EDIRPA)
During the September 2023 plenary session, Ϸվ is scheduled to vote on the provisional agreement on EDIRPA reached with the Council in June 2023. EDIRPA is a €300 million fund to incentivise the joint procurement of urgent and critical defence products needed in the context of the response to Russia's war on Ukraine.
Armenia and Azerbaijan: Between war and peace
Ever since the end of the Cold War, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been in conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, in the longest-running conflict in the post-Soviet space. Two bloody war episodes, in 1992 and in 2020, have alternated with periods of frozen conflict over three decades, amidst the inability of the international community to find a political settlement. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has further altered the power balance in the region, creating a dangerous security vacuum ...