LibGuides: EU's Strategic Compass for Security and Defence: EU PUBLICATIONS

In the Council

A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence - For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security, 21 March 2022
The annex includes the text of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, as approved by the Council at its meeting held on 21 March 2022.
Foreign Affairs Council, 20 March 2023
In a joint session gathering EU foreign affairs and defence ministers, took stock of the progress made in the implementation of the EU Strategic Compass, one year from its approval.
Ministers welcomed the progress achieved across all four pillars of the Compass, and identified areas that need further work.
Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, 10 January 2023
The NATO-EU strategic partnership is founded on our shared values, our determination to tackle common challenges and our unequivocal commitment to promote and safeguard peace, freedom and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic area.
A Strategic Compass for a stronger EU security and defence in the next decade / Press release, 21 March 2022
Today the Council has formally approved the Strategic Compass, at a time when we witness the return of war in Europe.
The Compass gives the European Union an ambitious plan of action for strengthening the EU's security and defence policy by 2030.
Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers in Brest, 12-13 January 2022
The Minister for the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, held an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on 12 and 13 January in Brest, to together define the directions to give to the work on the Strategic Compass in preparation for its adoption at the end of March.
Foreign Affairs Council (Defence), 16 November 2021
"EU foreign affairs and defence ministers sitting in a joint session exchanged views on the first draft of the EU Strategic Compass, which is intended to provide clear political strategic guidance on the EU approach to security and defence in the next 5 to 10 years, and to step up the EU’s role as global security provider. Building on a comprehensive threat analysis, the Strategic Compass sets out concrete measures and related timelines for action, covering a wide spectrum of areas ranging from the Common Security and Defence Policy to cyber and hybrid threats, disinformation, capability development and partnerships. There was broad support for the document. Ministers expressed their willingness to work on this with a view to adoption of the final Compass in March 2022. The High Representative stressed that member states had supported the approach on defence capabilities, addressing hybrid challenges and engaging with partners. Ministers underlined that the EU approach had to be complementary to and beneficial to NATO, avoiding duplication and ensuring coherence."
EU cooperation on security and defence
To better protect its citizens and defend its values, the EU needs to take strategic action on defence and increase its capacity to act autonomously.
EU-NATO cooperation
The EU ensures the protection of its citizens in Europe and beyond, through cooperation with NATO, thanks to the development of a broad range of tools.
Infographic - The Strategic Compass one year on: an assessment
Publication Date: March 2023
One year since the Council formally approved the launch of the Strategic Compass on 21 March 2022, significant progress has been made.
Infographic - A Strategic Compass for the EU
The Strategic Compass provides greater direction and a common vision for the EU's efforts in security and defence in the 5 to 10 years to come.
Infographic - EU-NATO: a cooperation through the years
Publication Date: January 2023
The EU’ strategic partnership with NATO is essential for our Euro-Atlantic security.

Conclusions

European Council conclusions, 14 and 15 December 2023
On 14 and 15 December, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, Middle East, enlargement and reforms, multiannual financial framework 2021-2027, security and defence, migration and other items, EU-Türkiye relations, fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and strategic agenda.
Amidst global instability, strategic competition and security threats, it is crucial for the EU to strengthen its security and defence and increase its capacity to act autonomously. Recalling previous conclusions, the Versailles Declaration and the Strategic Compass, EU leaders underlined that more needs to be done to strengthen the EU’s operational readiness and enhance its defence investment and capability development.
European Council conclusions, 15 December 2022
See the part of the conclusions on strengthening security and defence. EU leaders are committed to taking more responsibility for the EU's own security and, in the field of defence, pursuing a strategic course of action and increasing the EU's capacity to act autonomously. Strengthening the industrial and technological base of the European defence sector is of key importance in this respect, as is the transatlantic bond in the EU’s Strategic Compass and NATO’s Strategic Concept. Citing previous Council conclusions, the Versailles declaration, the Strategic Compass and the joint communication on defence investment gaps as guidelines, EU leaders called for the work to be accelerated.
European Council conclusions, 24-25 March 2022
On 24-25 March 2022, the European Council adopted conclusions on the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, security and defence, energy, economic issues, COVID-19, external relations and the election of the President of the European Council.
The European Council endorses the Strategic Compass, which provides the strategic guidance for the next decade and defines a coherent set of actions, ways and means, and clear targets required for this new impetus.
Informal meeting of the Heads of State or Government : Versailles Declaration, 10 and 11 March 2022
The declaration states that : "The forthcoming Strategic Compass will provide guidance for action across these security and defence dimensions to make the European Union a stronger and more capable security provider. "
European Council conclusions, 16 December 2021
On 16 December 2021, the European Council adopted conclusions on COVID-19, crisis management and resilience, security and defence, external aspects of migration and external relations.
Oral conclusions drawn by President Charles Michel following the informal meeting of the members of the European Council in Brdo pri Kranju, 6 October 2021
"HRVP Borrell will put forward a first draft of the Strategic Compass in November 2021. We will come back to it in December. We will endorse it in March at our regular European Council on defence. In the meantime, we will progress on the different existing tracks in the field of defence and security."
Council Conclusions on Security and Defence, 10 May 2021
In line with its Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, the Council calls for the EU to pursue a more strategic course of action and to increase its capacity to act autonomously. The EU should promote its interests and values and be able to tackle global security threats and challenges. Against this background, an ambitious and actionable Strategic Compass will enhance and guide the implementation of the level of ambition on security and defence. The Council therefore calls on the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to present a first draft of the Strategic Compass for discussion at the Council meeting in November 2021.
Council Conclusions on Security and Defence, 17 June 2020
The conclusions take stock of progress and provide further guidance on the various strands of work on security and defence cooperation.

European External Action Service (EEAS)

A Strategic Compass for the EU
In a world that is becoming more challenging to European interests and values, we need to unite and develop a common European answer.
Questions and answers: a background for the Strategic Compass
The European Union and its Member States face multiple threats and challenges that are rapidly evolving and increasing in magnitude and complexity. To tackle them, the EU has strengthened its work in the field of security and defence with a comprehensive set of defence initiatives implemented since 2017. As the global security environment deteriorates and new threats emerge, the EU now needs to step up its capacity and willingness to act.
Annual progress report on the implementation of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence: report of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the Council by EEAS
Publication Date: March 2023
In the first year after the adoption of the Strategic Compass, we have made significant progress, in full coherence with the EU Security Union Strategy of 2020. We have increased the speed, flexibility and responsiveness of our missions and operations to act. Our engagements worldwide, including the newly established missions, are a clear proof of our unity and our contribution to international peace and security. We have strengthened our ability to anticipate threats, secure our access to strategic domains and protect our citizens. Member States have also stepped up defence spending and investments in an unprecedented manner. We are further developing incentive to cooperate even more, in particular through joint procurement. We are now spending more, but we need to make sure to invest better. In parallel, we are strengthening our partnerships to achieve common goals in security and defence. These are an essential instrument to support our ambition to be a global strategic player.
Delivering on the Strategic Compass by EEAS
Publication Date: March 2023
The Strategic Compass was adopted in March 2022, one month after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. It lists more than 80 concrete actions to translate even more the EU's ambition in security and defence into reality. One year after its adoption, the EU and its Member States have made significant progress in its implementation.
EU missions and operations by EEAS
Publication Date: March 2023
Around 4,000 EU military and civilian staff are currently deployed in CSDP missions and operations in three continents, working for a more stable world and contributing to a safer Europe.
A strategic Compass for Security and Defence : For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security by EEAS
Publication Date: March 2022
The return of war in Europe, with Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, as well as major geopolitical shifts are challenging our ability to promote our vision and defend our interests. We live in an era of strategic competition and complex security threats. We see conflicts, military build-ups and aggressions, and sources of instability increasing in our neighbourhood and beyond, leading to severe humanitarian suffering and displacement. Hybrid threats grow both in frequency and impact. Interdependence is increasingly conflictual and soft power weaponised: vaccines, data and technology standards are all instruments of political competition. Access to the high seas, outer space and the digital sphere is increasingly contested. We are facing increasing attempts of economic and energy coercion.
1st EEAS Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats : Towards a framework for networked defence
Publication Date: February 2023
This first edition of the EEAS report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) threats is informed by the work of the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) Stratcom division in 2022. Based on a first sample of specific FIMI cases, it outlines how building on shared taxonomies and standards can fuel our collective understanding of the threat and help inform appropriate countermeasures in the short to the long term.

In the European Parliament

European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs, 25 January 2022
Video : Exchange of views with Josep Borrell, High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission on a Strategic Compass for Security and Defence – For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security.

EU publications

The strategic compass : implementing the partnership dimension in the area of security and defence by Koops, Joachim A and Pacheco Pardo, Ramon; Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: 2023
This in-depth analysis focuses on how to implement the Strategic Compass’s partnership dimension in the field of security and defence, and how to maximise the potential of the EU’s different strategic partnerships. The report not only provides an up-to-date overview of the most important security and defence partnerships, but also places them in their wider historical context, and in the context of future challenges within a fiercely changing geopolitical landscape. The report maps the EU’s different partnerships and their institutional arrangements, as well as the main policy fields in the realm of security and defence. It offers an in-depth analysis of the core challenges of each major partnership and charts out concrete recommendations for gearing each partnership towards a more impactful realisation of the Strategic Compass’s goals.
EUISS yearbook of European security : 2022 by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: February 2023
Publication metadata
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 and work in security and defence, as well as specific geographical sections on North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The section on security and defence provides comprehensive information about EU defence tools such as the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative, and an overview of security issues such as space, cybersecurity, terrorism, border management, hybrid threats and more. To enrich the reading experience, the document contains references to key EU texts, various EUISS analytical publications, an index and informative infographics.
Implementation of the Strategic Compass: Opportunities, challenges and timelines by Members' Research Service; European Parliament
Publication Date: December 2022
On 21 March 2022, the European Union's ministers of defence and foreign affairs adopted the Strategic Compass, with EU Heads of State and Government subsequently endorsing it on 24 March 2022. The Strategic Compass is an actionable framework for the EU's security and defence up until 2030. It sets out concrete actions and timelines, with 51 of the 81 deliverables listed in the document to be implemented by the end of 2022. Ahead of the European Council meeting on 15 December 2022, where the implementation of the Strategic Compass will be a central topic of discussion – based on a progress report by the High Representative – this in-depth analysis examines the status of implementation of the tangible deliverables in the Strategic Compass, as well as the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Following an introduction on recent developments in the area of EU defence, the analysis goes on to look at the 'act'; 'secure'; invest' and 'partner' chapters of the Strategic Compass individually.
The strategic compass and EU space-based defence capabilities by Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: December 2022
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 the area of security and defence. Indeed, the Compass calls for a dedicated EU Strategy for Space and Defence. Yet space and defence is not a new avenue of policy for the EU and defence cooperation frameworks such as Permanent Structured Cooperation and the European Defence Fund already fund and advance space-relevant capability programmes.
Strategic Compass : New bearings for EU security and defence? by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: December 2021
This Chaillot Paper provides an in-depth analysis of European security and defence policy ahead of the adoption of the Strategic Compass in early 2022. It also offers numerous recommendations and policy considerations in support of the implementation phase of the Compass. To this end, the report combines the insights of eleven expert contributors and the results of a questionnaire sent by the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) to 120 individuals representing government-affiliated research institutions, institutions affiliated to international organisations, think tanks and universities. The Chaillot Paper is structured along four chapters. These mirror the four baskets associated with the Strategic Compass: crisis management, resilience, capabilities and partnerships. The analysis suggests that while the EU has come a long way in the security and defence domain, there is still progress to be made and specific considerations to be taken into account.
Where will the EU's Strategic Compass point? by Tania Latici and Elena Lazarou ; European Parliamentary Research Service
Publication Date: October 2021
As Member States encounter increasingly complex security threats, momentum to push for EU initiatives to deliver on the Union's level of ambition in defence has emerged. A process aimed at bringing clarity, guidance and incentives to completing the common security and defence policy, the Strategic Compass is a first for the European Union. Announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the European Union speech, a European Defence Summit is expected to take place in February 2022. It is envisaged that, following its much-anticipated presentation, EU leaders will endorse the Compass in March 2022. European Council President Charles Michel branded 2022 'the year of European defence'.
Naval gazing? The strategic compass and the EU’s maritime presence by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: December 2021
The EU and its Member States will find it increasingly difficult to sustain the rules-based order and the Union’s own economic prosperity without a sizeable and consistent investment in maritime power. The politics of the EU’s approach to maritime security is conditioned by questions of geographical priorities and how to balance ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ maritime risks. The Strategic Compass should set measurable targets that lead to a higher and more credible EU naval presence, and it may even instigate a shift in the way the EU thinks about maritime security more broadly.
Securing the heavens : How can space support the EU’s strategic compass? by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: April 2021
Despite political and industrial divergences between EU member states, space will play an indispensable role in the Strategic Compass. Space is a strategic enabler that can enrich the EU’s approach to crisis management, resilience, capabilities and partnerships, and the Compass is an opportunity to upgrade the status of space and defense within the context of the EU’s broader space policy.
Uncharted territory? : Towards a common threat analysis and a strategic compass for EU security and defence by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: August 2020
Despite the direction offered by the EU Global Strategy, there is as yet no common approach to how member state governments understand threats to the EU’s security. Under the new Strategic Compass initiative – designed to provide enhanced politico-strategic direction for EU security and defence – member state governments and institutions will conduct their own threat analysis as a first step in a 2-year process. This Brief examines how a clearer understanding of such threats can help the EU to achieve its level of ambition in this area.
EU preparedness and responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats by Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: November 2021
This study on ‘EU preparedness and responses to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats’ was requested by the European Parliament’s (EP) Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) in the context of, but not limited to, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Building on reports and expert input, this study first provides an update of the current level of each of the C, B, R and N threat elements, including the type of actor from which such threats might stem. It furthermore takes stock of the existing preparedness and response mechanisms and matches these against the updated threat landscape to determine the current state of play of the EU’s response tools and its remaining gaps where improvement may be needed.
EUISS yearbook of European security : 2021 by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: October 2021
The 2021 Yearbook of European Security provides an overview of events in 2020 that were significant for European security and it charts major developments in the EU’s external action and security and defence policy. The 2021 Yearbook of European Security contains region-and issue-specific sections, timelines of key events, lists of core EU documents, excerpts of relevant EUISS publications and an index. This year, the book contains a specific section on the EU’s multilateral eforts and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The health crisis also features prominently in the geographical sections of the book, together with visuals illustrating the impact of the crisis in specific countries and regions.
Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide : Normandy index 2021 by Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services (European Parliament)
Publication Date: July 2021
The 'Normandy Index', now in its third year, aims to measure the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world. It was presented for the first time on the occasion of the Normandy Peace Forum in June 2019, as a result of a partnership between the European Parliament and the Region of Normandy. The Index has been designed and prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), in conjunction with and on the basis of data provided by the Institute for Economics and Peace. This paper sets out the findings of the 2021 exercise and explains how the Index can be used to compare peace – defined on the basis of a given country's performance against a range of predetermined threats – across countries and regions. It is complemented by 51 individual country case studies, derived from the Index.
Review of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) and European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) : Lessons for the implementation of the European Defence Fund (EDF) by Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: June 2021
Of all European defence initiatives launched since 2016, the European Defence Fund (EDF) is without doubt one of the most promising, if not the most promising. However, the EDF will not by itself solve all problems related to the fragmentation and therefore inefficiency of European defence procurement. Only the Member States can do so, working in good faith together with the Commission in deciding the EDF work programme and funding allocations. Doing this, it will be essential not to confuse the ends – the creation of a strong and competitive European Defence and Technological Industrial Base (EDTIB) – the ways – inclusiveness through wide cross-border cooperation and the will to pursue strategic autonomy – and the means – the defence research projects funded by the EDF. Keeping the course between at times conflicting paths and ensuring the return on a meaningful but still modest investment (EUR 7.9 billion over seven years) will be the main EDF challenges in the years ahead.
Conflicts to come : 15 scenarios for 2030 by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: January 2021
“History is littered with mistaken predictions about the future of warfare”: taking this observation as its premise, this Chaillot Paper takes a novel approach to exploring how future conflicts might unfold. In contrast to traditional schools of conflict anticipation, which rely on science, history and deduction, it combines imagination with an analysis of past and present trends to paint a compelling picture of conflicts to come. This approach, which incorporates elements and tools drawn from science fiction and futuristic art and literature, also takes account of hitherto unknown factors and drivers of conflict - new technological developments, environmental changes, or ideologies yet to be born. The volume presents 15 fictionalised scenarios that imagine how future conflicts might occur.
Strategic investment : Making geopolitical sense of the EU’s defence industrial policy by European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date: January 2020
This 'Chaillot paper' focuses on new EU initiatives in the defence domain – in particular the creation of the European Defence Fund – and on the Union’s evolving role and engagement in this sector. The paper seeks to address three specific questions: (i) how can economic and political factors be balanced in EU defence industrial policy?; (ii) what strategic considerations are driving forward defence innovation investments at the EU level?; and (iii) how can the Union’s institutions ensure that investments in defence innovation evolve into tangible capabilities for EU defence? Cautioning against an exclusively economic interpretation of why the EU should invest in the European defence industry, the paper argues that the political dimension of capability development should not be overlooked. It also analyses how the EU’s future defence investments should be seen in light of changes to the global defence market and shifting geopolitical trends.
Achieving strategic sovereignty for the EU : Workshop by Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: May 2021
The notion of European ‘strategic sovereignty’ is increasingly important in debates about the European Union. Given rapidly shifting global geopolitical and technology trends, and the seeming fragmentation of the multilateral order, the EU is being forced to confront its own position in international affairs. A number of concepts have been given life because of the deteriorating international scene including “European sovereignty”, “strategic autonomy”, “digital sovereignty”, “technological sovereignty” and “open strategic autonomy”. However defined, there is a need to move beyond concepts and focus on the nature of economic interdependence, multilateralism and strategic partnerships. This online workshop, requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, zoomed in on each of these elements with case studies that centre on semiconductors, the Iran nuclear deal and EU security and defence.
Cybersecurity research directions for EU digital strategic autonomy by European Union Agency for Cybersecurity
Publication Date: April 2021
The focus of this work is to identify the necessary research priorities to support the EU’s digital strategic autonomy and thus digital sovereignty. In this introductory chapter, we (i) analyse how the terms ‘digital strategic autonomy’ and ‘digital sovereignty’ have been used and propose the definition used in this report, (ii) define the scope and target audience, and (iii) outline the structure of the report.
The European space sector as an enabler of EU strategic autonomy : In-depth analysis by Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
Publication Date: December 2020
Today, the European Union can boast a degree of strategic autonomy in space. Projects such as Galileo have not only enhanced the EU’s economy, but they may confer on the Union the ability to amplify its Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy. While the EU continues to promote the safe, secure and sustainable use of space, it is also true that space is rapidly becoming a political arena that hangs over geopolitical competition on earth. Space is crucial for EU security and defence. Yet the EU is at a cross-roads and it needs to develop ways to ensure that it maintains its strategic autonomy in space. Without strategic autonomy in space, there can be no strategic autonomy on earth. There is a need for the Union to invest in its space presence, push the technological frontier in space, ensure that its ground- and space-based critical infrastructure is protected, ensure that its industrial supply chains are resilient and utilise new initiatives in security and defence to further enhance the EU’s ability to act autonomously.