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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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  • 06July 2016
    EUISS workshop on European Defence: after the EUGS and before Brexit

    On 6 July 2016, the EUISS welcomed a group of experts and officials to discuss the current state of affairs and future opportunities for European defence policy.

  • 05July 2016
    Reshaping EU Civilian Crisis Management

    On 5 July, the EUISS launched its project on ‘Reshaping EU Civilian Crisis Management’ in Brussels.

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    01July 2016
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    Euro 2016 – teaming up for security

    With the UEFA European Championship 2016 having kicked off in France last month, this Alert looks at the unprecedented collaborative efforts of France and its international partners to combat the terrorist threat facing the tournament.

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    01July 2016
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    Civilian crisis management: towards a new paradigm

    What developments in and around Europe have challenged the conceptual and practical boundaries of EU civilian crisis management (CCM)? And what are the implications of the increasing involvement of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies?

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    29June 2016
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    A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy

    The strategy, under the title Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe, has been elaborated under the leadership of the High Representative. It reflects the collective views expressed in the process and offers a strategic vision for the EU’s global role. In these challenging times, both for Europe and globally, the strategy highlights common ground and presents a common way forward.

  • 30May 2016
    4th Module of the ESDC High-Level Course

    From 30 May to 3 June 2016, the EUISS supported the 4th Module of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) High-Level Course organised in Berlin by the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik (BAKS).

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    26May 2016
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    US forces – between Europe and Asia

    Recent developments to the east and south of Europe have pushed European defence back onto the agenda in Washington. What steps has the US taken to guarantee the security of its transatlantic allies? And are they enough?

  • 25May 2016
    Washington Forum 2016

    The 2016 EUISS Washington Forum took place on 25 May and was hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP).

  • 24May 2016
    Arab defence industries: implications for the United States and Europe

    Two EUISS Senior Analysts were hosted by the Atlantic Council in the US capital to discuss developments in defence industries in the Middle East.

  • 17May 2016
    The future of European defence

    On 17 May 2016, the EUISS hosted a launch event for the recently published Chaillot Paper ‘Envisioning European defence: five futures’. This launch event provided a forum for analysts, policymakers and interested stakeholders alike to better understand how the choices of today will impact the European defence of tomorrow.

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    28October 2014
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    Fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia: lessons learned from the Contact Group

    This report aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the objectives, methods, critical success factors and results of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS); and to capture the knowledge and experience resident in the governments and organisations that have contributed to the Group.

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    21October 2014
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    Pooling and sharing that works: the Heavy Airlift Wing at five

    As the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) programme celebrates five years of successful flight operations, this Alert provides an overview of this multinational initiative which has provided even very small European countries with a strategic transport capability that they would not have been able to achieve on their own.

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    17October 2014
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    Staying ahead: the US and future technologies

    What steps is the US taking in order to ensure that it remains technologically superior to its rivals when it comes to defence matters? Is there still a role for Europe in the race to stay ahead of the game?

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    17October 2014
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    Autonomy without autarky: an EU ‘roadmap’ for security of supply

    This Alert offers a preliminary sketch of what a Europe-wide security of supply regime could look like. Should such a regime follow an emphasis on maintaining open markets and ensuring competitiveness, or should it follow an insistence on greater protection and a ‘buy European’ ethos?

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    07October 2014
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    In groups we trust – Implementing Article 44 of the Lisbon Treaty

    This Brief explores the hitherto unimplemented provision of the Lisbon Treaty. What procedures would allow for an Article 44 operation to take place? And what can be done to assuage any concerns associated with the use of the Article?

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    03October 2014
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    CSDP’s new partners: South America

    This Alert explores the motives driving Latin American countries to institutionalise security cooperation with the EU. In spite of the asymmetric levels of engagement in CSDP missions and operations, Latin American states can reap considerable benefits from their participation through other policy channels.

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    30September 2014
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    CSDP’s new partners: East Asia

    This Alert analyses the implications of the Union’s recent formalisation of security cooperation with South Korea. Aside from obvious practical benefits, what symbolic value does it have for both partners in their attempts to gain greater recognition as security actors?

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    26September 2014
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    European Security and Defence #CSDPbasics

    This leaflet, produced for the occasion of the EUISS annual conference 2014, goes back to basics on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Infographics and illustrations, as well as a glossary of terms and relevant actors, present facts and figures about European security – in an easily accessible manner.

  • 09September 2014
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    YES 2014 – Version abrégée – français

    La version abrégée du Yearbook of European Security (YES) en français propose des faits, données, chronologies, documents et cartes essentiels à la compréhension de la politique de sécurité de l’Union européenne au cours de l’année 2013.

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    18July 2014
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    Exit strategies: what's in a name?

    This Brief takes a look at the discussions surrounding ‘exit strategies’ of EU CSDP missions. However defined, work on exit strategies may begin with CSDP – but eventually draws on, and takes to task, all other connected components of EU foreign policy.

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  • 24September 2007
    Sino-European Strategic Dialogue

    The EUISS and the Asia Centre co-hosted the second Sino-European dialogue on security which focused on crisis prevention and crisis management, non-proliferation in the Korean Peninsula, promotion of stability in Africa, and the transparency of EU and Chinese defence policies.

  • 27June 2007
    Reviewing Conflict & Post-Conflict Management in Africa

    This seminar aimed at reviewing standard political and economical formula in implementing peace. As five ESDP operations have taken place in Africa, this seminar also aimed at identifying the international and local contexts in which the EU is developing its crisis management instruments.

  • 30May 2007
    Challenges in missile non-proliferation - multilateral approaches

    This conference, jointly organised with the German Presidency and the Council of the European Union, examined the challenges posed by missile proliferation and focused on the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC).

  • 16March 2007
    GMES: the security dimension

    This seminar was organised with the support of the Council General Secretariat, the European Commission, and the EU Satellite Centre and sought to raise awareness of the security dimension of GMES and to obtain guidance for implementation.

  • 29January 2007
    ESDP: from Cologne to Berlin and beyond: operations, institutions and capabilities

    In cooperation with the EUISS, the German Presidency of the European Union organised a conference held in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on ESDP: addressing operations, institutions and capabilities.

  • 25September 2006
    Implementing the BTWC: challenges and prospects

    The EUISS held a conference on the Biological and Toxins Weapon Convention (BTWC) in order to examine the challenges associated with the implementation of the BTWC and possible implementation assistance requirements.

  • 30June 2006
    Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo – The State of Play

    This Task Force focussed on Montenegro after the independence referendum and relations with Serbia; domestic developments in Serbian politics especially in the light of the possibility of parliamentary elections in the autumn; and the prospects for a viable settlement of Kosovo's 'final status' this year.

  • 03March 2006
    Developing a European security perspective on China

    In response to the growing interest in Chinese affairs and the manifest uncertainty in the EU about how to approach this new emerging superpower, the EUISS organised on 3 March 2006 a brainstorming seminar dedicated to the development of European security thinking on China.

  • 01February 2006
    The future of ESDP

    This EUISS seminar sought to explore some of the key issues affecting the development of ESDP, its direction and its long-term sustainability.

  • 15January 2006
    The future of EU-US burdensharing

    The Institute organised a seminar on future patterns in burdensharing. Among the key issues analysed was how to define burdensharing in light of today's multifaceted menaces and the type of instruments required to facilitate such cooperation.

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