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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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    19December 2013
    Peacebuilding in 3D: EU and US approaches
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    This Chaillot Paper examines the concept of peacebuilding and the emergence in recent years of a comprehensive approach to conflict management that combines both civilian and military instruments. It highlights the importance of peacebuilding as a foreign policy goal and analyses US and EU approaches to the issue, focusing on the likely future trajectory of transatlantic cooperation in this area.

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    22November 2013
    What EU citizens think about European defence
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    On the face of it, there is overwhelming support in Europe for a common foreign and defence policy. But is there agreement on what a 'European defence policy' might actually mean? Or do EU citizens only favour common action when it is 'common' on their own terms? To provide some answers, this brief takes a detailed look at the polls on the matter and explores the assumptions that underlie them.

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    22November 2013
    Broader challenges, smaller budgets: the future of the US military
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    This alert examines the priority reforms identified by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in order ensure that the US military remains ready to counter the full range of future threats. With smaller budgets forcing European governments to make difficult choices, are there lessons to be drawn from Hagel’s observations?

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    21November 2013
    YES 2013 – Gekürzte Ausgabe – deutsch
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    Die gekürzte Ausgabe des Yearbook of European Security (YES) auf Deutsch beinhaltet grundlegende Fakten, Grafiken, Chroniken und Karten mit Blick auf die externe Sicherheit der EU. Sie gibt einen umfassenden Überblick über die sicherheitspolitischen Aktivitäten der EU in den Jahren 2011 und 2012.

  • 21November 2013
    YES 2013 – Version abrégée – français
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    La version abrégée du Yearbook of European Security (YES) en français propose des faits, chiffres, chronologies, documents et cartes essentiels à la compréhension de la politique de sécurité de l’Union européenne au cours des années 2011 et 2012.

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    15November 2013
    EU Battlegroups – ready to go?
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    The EU Battlegroups (BGs) reached full operational capability on 1 January 2007. However, they have never been deployed since, raising serious doubts about the viability of the overall initiative. This brief examines how, if the EU member states really want the Battlegroups to be Europe’s flagship military rapid response tool, they may have to address the challenges that continue to plague the BGs’ credibility and effectiveness.

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    15November 2013
    Ten years of EU military operations
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    On the eve of the European Council´s summit on defence, the EU´s six military operations to date can be considered to have been carried out with a certain degree of success. This brief examines how the Union still has room to grow as a European security provider in the context of an international division of labour for military crisis management.

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    06November 2013
    CSDP between internal constraints and external challenges
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    This report is based on a conference on European defence jointly organised by the EUISS and King’s College London in September. It focuses on CSDP with a view to informing official debates leading up to the upcoming European Council meeting in December. In particular, the report stresses the importance of EU member states strengthening their political and financial commitment to CSDP, as well as the key role of the EU institutions in fostering cooperation and coordination.

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    18October 2013
    Civil wars: a very short introduction
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    As the conflict in Syria rages on, this brief provides a succinct analysis of the causes and consequences of the longest, and bloodiest, of all forms of human conflict. Why do civil wars break out? And more importantly, how can they be brought to an end?

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    13September 2013
    The added value of CSDP operations
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    For the EU to continue to attract civilian and military contributions from member states it needs to show its comparative advantage over other actors in bringing about lasting peace and security. This brief explores the question of the ‘added value’ of the CSDP compared to NATO and UN as well as to other EU instruments deployed in response to crises.

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  • 12December 2017
    Towards a more strategic approach to CSDP cooperation with partner countries

    On 12 December, in cooperation with the EEAS/CMDP1, the EUISS organised an informal workshop to identify priorities for strengthening CSDP cooperation with partner countries.

  • 16November 2017
    EUISS and the Munich Security Conference sign MoU

    On 16 November 2017, the EUISS and the Munich Security Conference (MSC) formalised cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

  • 02October 2017
    Hybrid threats and the EU - State of play and future progress

    On 2 October 2017, the EUISS and the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU organised a high-level conference on hybrid threats. During three panels focusing on the current state of play, cyber resilience and strategic communications, the conference encouraged debate about the efforts made by the EU to counter hybrid threats.

  • 30May 2017
    The EUGS one year on: Challenges to European security – and EU responses

    This EUISS event launched two new EUISS publications at the one-year mark of the issuance of the EU Global Strategy. With the EUISS ‘Yearbook of European Security’ as the go-to source for facts and figures relevant to the EU and its external action, and ‘After the EUGS: building resilience’ as the third in the series of the EUISS books devoted to the EU Global Strategy and its implementation.

  • 19May 2017
    Security Sector Reform in the Southern Neighbourhood

    The seminar discussed a more tailored approach to Security Sector Reform (SSR) in the EU’s South, looking at challenges in the fields of criminal justice, policing, border control, and counter-terrorism.

  • 27April 2017
    Shared vision, common action, stronger Europe: Is the implementation of the EU Global Strategy meeting expectations?

    The EUISS and the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU organised a high-level conference on the EU Global Strategy (EUGS). Following a panel focusing on how the EUGS has driven the EU’s and member states’ foreign policy since June 2016, the conference encouraged debate on the security and defence aspects of the EUGS and the EU’s crisis management strategy for Libya.

  • 31March 2017
    Implementing the EU Global Strategy through an integrated approach to external conflicts and crises

    On 31 March 2017, the EUISS held a closed event in Brussels on the ‘Integrated Approach’. This Seminar aimed at analysing the Integrated Approach and the opportunities it creates for a more effective EU external action, in particular in conflict prevention and stabilisation.

  • 24February 2017
    ESDC Alumni Seminar 2017

    On 23 and 24 February, the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) and the EUISS co-hosted the ESDC Annual Alumni Conference in Brussels.

  • 25November 2016
    After the EU Global Strategy: delivering on security and defence

    On 25 November, the EUISS organised an event focusing on the Security and Defence Implementation Plan (SDIP). As a follow up to the EU Global Strategy (EUGS), the Plan sets a new level of ambition for the EU in security and defence.

  • 18October 2016
    EUISS at EURONAVAL 2016

    The EUISS team participated in the EURONAVAL 2016 exhibition on 18 October at the Parc des Expositions le Bourget.

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