On Wednesday 12 December, the European Parliament supported the EU's defence policy.
By adopting the report by Ioan Mircea Paşcu (S&D, Romania) on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (376 votes in favour, 215 against and 41 abstentions), the European Parliament urges Member States and the Union to invest more ”urgently” in security and defence and stresses that solidarity and cooperation should become the norm.
According to MEPs, “it is absolutely essential to develop a clearly defined overall strategic approach to European defence, which could best be defined by a White Paper on EU security and defence”.
The Parliament also claims it is important to develop the necessary civilian and military capabilities, including through pooling and sharing, to meet security challenges, but also to invest more, in particular, in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and satellite communications.
The report notes, as well, recent progress in European defence, such as permanent structured cooperation, the European Defence Fund (see other news) and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) or the Commission's proposal to create a defence section within the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The report also highlights the importance of the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)