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21 March 2022

A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence

Council of the European Union Policy and law 2022 Public

The Strategic Compass, approved by the Council of the European Union in March 2022, establishes a common strategic vision for the EU’s security and defence and sets concrete and wide-ranging objectives to achieve these goals in the coming 5-10 years.

After a contextual part based on the first-ever EU Threat Analysis, the Compass is organised in four areas, each followed by measurable objectives and timelines:

  • Act more quickly and decisively when facing crises;
  • Secure our citizens against fast-changing threats;
  • Invest in the capabilities and technologies we need;
  • Partner with others to achieve common goals.

Civilian CSDP is mentioned extensively in the Strategic Compass: across its 47 pages, the word “civilian" appears 66 times. The document also refers to the current and future civilian CSDP Compact, which should “allow for a faster deployment, also in complex environments”. Finally, themes such as the climate-security nexus are integrated into the Compass, with a section devoted to “resilience to climate change, disasters and emergencies”, and a paragraph touching on the CSDP missions' and operations’ footprint.

Reference: Council of the European Union (2022). A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence - For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security. 

The views presented in this document belong to the author and do not reflect the official position of the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management.

Resource

PDF | 47 pages
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