Abstract:
Today more than ever, European defence and security find themselves under the spotlight, ad thus, the Common Security and Defence Policy. i.e. the main policy framework through which Member States act together with common views on security and defence. The Russia war of aggression against Ukraine that broke out in 2022 has been a turning point for European Member States, such that it coincided with their approval of a document called ‘Strategic Compass’. It is the new EU’s security and defence instruction manual as it assesses the key challenges the EU is facing. Three months after the Compass, another crucial document was approved by the Heads of State and Government of the NATO Allies, the so-called Strategic Concept, the highest-level political document that the Atlantic Alliance delivers.
These two crucial documents, the 2022 EU’s Strategic Compass and NATO’s Strategic Concept, are crucial for the analysis of the current situation of European and Euro-Atlantic defence. For this reason, the first chapter of this dissertation explores the European defence strategies framework, from the birth of CSDP to its implementation, as well the agencies and bodies involved in the EU’s defence, and finally the Strategic Compass. The second chapter examines the strategic partnership on defence between the EU and NATO, along with the key-points of the Strategic Concept. Lastly, the future direction of European defence is taken into consideration.
