European leaders will discuss, on Friday 26 February, European security and defence cooperation.
They will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss cooperation between the EU and the Alliance.
According to the invitation letter from the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the meeting will then focus on “how to improve our collective capacity to respond to security challenges and threats”.
According to draft conclusions, the European Council intends to call for a more strategic course of action and the strengthening of the EU's capacity to act autonomously. “In the face of increased global instability, the EU must assume greater responsibility for security”, the text says.
At the same time, the European Council is expected to reiterate its commitment to strengthening partnerships with the UN, NATO and key regional partners, notably the United States. “This global cooperation will benefit from a stronger EU in the field of security and defence”, the European Council says.
According to a European source, it would also be a question of promoting new partnerships, with Africa or the countries of the Indo-Pacific region.
Underlining their determination to increase defence investment and to strengthen the development of civilian and military capabilities and operational readiness within the Union, leaders will commit to enhance the Union’s civilian and military operational engagement.
They are also expected to encourage better use of the opportunities for collaboration identified in the framework of the Coordinated Annual Review of Defence (CARD) and make full use of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to enhance investment, preparedness and development of collaborative capabilities, and provide for secure European access to global common goods (including space, cyberspace and the high seas) and improved military mobility in the Union.
Investing in the industrial and technological base
Furthermore, the European Council will reportedly also call for the strengthening of Europe’s defence industrial and technological base and in particular invite the European Commission to present a technological roadmap by October 2021 “to stimulate research, technological development and innovation and reduce our strategic dependencies in critical technologies and value chains”.
“The question is how, collectively, we protect our critical infrastructures”, explained a European source.
The leaders will be briefed by the High Representative of the Union, Josep Borrell, on the ongoing work on the Strategic Compass. They should invite him, together with the Member States, to take this work forward, using the full range of EU instruments, “with a view to its adoption by March 2022”.
This work promises to be complex, as Member States have different visions. Some are banking on the EU’s strategic autonomy, others advocate a stronger link with NATO, while others are neutral/non-members of the Alliance.
The EU27 is also expected to address ‘new threats’. The aim is to strengthen Europe’s resilience and responsiveness in the field of cyber security and to improve the framework for crisis management in this area. They also advocate for increased cooperation and coordination to prevent and respond to hybrid threats, including disinformation, by involving the private sector and relevant international actors as well.
They are also expected to call on the Commission and the High Representative to report on the implementation of the cyber security strategy by June 2021.
Discussion on the Southern Neighbourhood
The leaders will conclude their work with a discussion on the EU’s relations with the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood. Although last December they had adopted specific conclusions (see EUROPE 12621/5), they had not discussed the subject due to lack of time. The European Commission and the High Representative presented their position on the issue on 9 February (see EUROPE 12654/8).
Leaders could ask the EU Council to consider the implementation of this Communication and to take advantage of shared opportunities through enhanced cooperation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)