The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said, on Monday 20 March, in the first annual report on the ‘Strategic Compass’, that “we have made significant progress and achieved concrete results across all four chapters of the ‘Strategic Compass’ (act, invest, partner and secure)”, over the past 12 months.
“We are narrowing the gap between our aspirations and our actions”, the report concludes.
According to a European source, the report, presented on 20 March to EU foreign and defence ministers, was “very well received”.
Beyond the European response to the war in Ukraine - including the massive use of the ‘European Peace Facility’ and the training of Ukrainian military personnel - the EU has, over the past 12 months, stepped up its security support to other partners around the world, notably by launching two new missions in Niger and Armenia, the report says.
It also highlights the progress made with the EU’s rapid deployment capability, the development of new tools to anticipate and counter hybrid threats, strengthen cyber defence and combat disinformation campaigns and foreign interference.
Similarly, the EU has improved its approach to maritime security and advanced its understanding of the security and defence implications of space, the paper says.
The report also stresses the need for continued efforts, as “the world we are facing is changing drastically and our security environment has further deteriorated”.
“We need to accelerate our efforts and deliver on the commitments and ambitions of our ‘Strategic Compass’. We need to continue mobilising our political will and all the resources and tools at our disposal”, the report warns.
The ‘Strategic Compass’, which lists over 80 concrete actions, was adopted on 21 March 2022 (see EUROPE 12915/10).
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/5wo (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)