European defence and security [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Written by Marcin Grajewski.

Russia’s military build-up around Ukraine, as well as fears of an armed conflict between the two countries, have highlighted the importance of the on-going debate about how to strengthen the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). On 17 February, the European Parliament adopted resolutions calling for a more ambitious CSDP, to counter threats such as terrorism, cyber-attacks, exploitation of migration for political purposes, and foreign interference. The Parliament has also welcomed the work of governments on the Strategic Compass, a long-term plan for the EU to become a better provider of security, to act faster and more decisively to protect EU values and interests, and to contribute to international peace. The adoption of the Compass would also help the EU to achieve a stronger degree of strategic autonomy.

This note gathers links to the recent publications and commentaries from many international think tanks on European defence and security. Recent reports on the Ukrainian crisis can be found in a previous item from the ‘What think tanks are thinking’ series.

Could EU-endorsed ‘coalitions of the willing’ strengthen EU security policy?
Centre for European Reform, February 2022

The EU’s Strategic Compass is a defining moment for European defense
Atlantic Council, February 2022

Hybrid warfare is not synonymous with cyber: The threat of influence operations
Egmont, February 2022

The crisis of European security: What Europeans think about the war in Ukraine
European Council on Foreign Relations, February 2022

Elevating the EU’s added value as a security provider
Foundation for Progressive European Studies, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Fondation Jean-Jaurès, January 2022

EU strategic autonomy: A perennial pipe dream?
European Policy Centre, January 2022

Strategic autonomy: Not without integration
Egmont, Foundation for Progressive European Studies, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Fondation Jean-Jaurès, January 2022

Uncharted and uncomfortable in European defence
Clingendael, January 2022

Multi-layered actions? Sustaining partnerships in the EU integrated approach to conflicts and crises
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2022

In the shadow of war: Ukraine and the limits of a ‘geopolitical’ EU
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2022

Where next for EU security policy in the Asia-Pacific?
International Institute for Security Studies, January 2022

Never-ending divorce: The role of UK-EU security cooperation after Brexit
European Council on Foreign Relations, January 2022

Multipolarity and EU Foreign and Security Policy: Divergent approaches to conflict and crisis response
Istituto Affari Internazionali, December 2021

Construire l’autonomie stratégique de l’Europe face à la Chine
Institut Jacques Delors, December 2021

The EU’s defence ambitions: Understanding the emergence of a European defence technological and industrial complex
Carnegie Europe, December 2021

Is the EU about to build its own military capacity? Thanks to Germany, the jury’s still out
Atlantic Council, December 2021

The EU as a global actor in the Indo-Pacific
Atlantic Council, December 2021

The future of European strategy in a changing geopolitical environment
The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, December 2021

EU defence projects: Balancing member states, money and management
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2021

Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine and Europe’s soft power
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2021

Dealing with the neighbours: The case for an affiliate membership of the European Union and a new Security Council
European Policy Centre, December 2021

Strategic Compass: New bearings for EU security and defence?
European Union Institute for Security Studies, December 2021

Strategic Autonomy: Views from the North
Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, December 2021

Is the European peace facility really about peace?
Centre for European Reform, December 2021

Autonome EU-Finanzsanktionen: Wege zum wirkungsvollen Einsatz
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, December 2021

The need for cooperative security In Europe
Brussels Schools of Governance, December 2021

An architecture fit for strategic autonomy
Foundation for Progressive European Studies, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Fondation Jean-Jaurès, November 2021

Unpacking open strategic autonomy
Clingendael, November 2021

Regional fragmentation and EU Foreign and Security Policy
Istituto Affari Internazionali, November 2021

Not yet fit for the world: Piecemeal build-up of EU military, cyber and intelligence assets
Istituto Affari Internazionali, November 2021

Europe’s high-end military challenges: The future of European capabilities and missions
Centre for Strategic and International Studies, November 2021

Britain and France should stand together
Centre for European Reform, November 2021

Bridging the Channel: The UK’s nuclear deterrent and its role in European security
Centre for European Reform, November 2021

Kill the battlegroups
Egmont, November 2021

Seven steps to European defence, Transatlantic equilibrium, and global Europe
Egmont, October 2021

The European Army: The future of Europe’s defence or an economic windfall in disguise?
József Knowledge Centre, October 2021

On defence, the ball is in Europe’s court
Centre for European Reform, October 2021

L’autonomie stratégique, cet obscur objet du désir
Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques, October 2021

Countering hybrid threats
Clingendael, October 2021

Bridging the Channel: How Europeans and the UK can work together on defence capability development
Centre for European Reform, October 2021

After Afghanistan and AUKUS: What next for European defence?
Centre for European Reform, October 2021

Building European strategic autonomy vs. Turkish strategic depth: Macron’s diplomatic gamble
Institut français des relations internationales, October 2021

The V4 towards a new NATO Strategic Concept and the EU Strategic Compass
Europeum, József Knowledge Centre, Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Slovak Security Policy Institute, October 2021

The EU’s security and defence policy: In search of a compass
Centre for Eastern Studies, September 2021

Sharing the burden, sharing the secrets: The future of European intelligence cooperation
Clingendael, September 2021

Emerging challenges for European security and defence
International Institute for Security Studies, September 2022

AUKUS and the EU: A snub for the bloc?
Egmont, September 2021

The AUKUS agreement: What repercussions for the European Union?
Fondation Robert Schuman, September 2021

Read this briefing on ‘European defence and security‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.