New EU security strategy and defence measures proposed

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a new “security strategy” that includes a range of measures intended to bolster defence across Europe.

Von der Leyen’s proposals came as part of her State of the Union address in Strasbourg on 16 September, an annual speech during the European Parliament’s first plenary session after summer. 

One of the proposals under the strategy is an Emergency Security Protocol, similar to NATO’s ‘Article 4’, which is a mechanism to invoke discussion between alliance members when under threat. Von der Leyen said that the European version of this could be triggered to coordinate response throughout the bloc following any incidents that threaten “national security” but fall below armed aggression. 

Additionally, the commission president introduced plans to establish a European Security Council. This council would offer a platform for leaders from the EU to collaborate with partners such as Canada, Norway, the UK, and Ukraine. 

What other defence measures were announced?

According to von der Leyen, the Ukrainian conflict has demonstrated the importance of “strategic enablers” such as air and missile defences, air-to-air refuelling platforms, and space and cyber capabilities, among others.

“These are the critical support assets and force multipliers that any credible defence relies on,” she said. 

To support the delivery of these capabilities across Europe, von der Leyen revealed that the EU will create a European Instrument for Strategic Enablers, which will be “fully aligned” with NATO. 

“These systems are essential, and we need more of them,” the commission president said. “Only together does Europe have the scale to deliver them.”

Additionally, von der Leyen said the remaining funds from the EU’s Security Action for Europe loan – a mechanism to accelerate defence investment – will be used to establish a “new programme for joint projects” with Ukrainian companies.