Ukraine-Russia war, green light for common European defense: from new investments to rapid intervention forces, this is what the “Strategic Compass” provides

“A more hostile security environment requires us to make a qualitative leap and increase our capacity and willingness to act, strengthen our resilience and invest more and better in our defense capabilities.” To the statement with which the European Council today formally approved the ‘Strategic Compass’, the so-called “strategic compass”, are added the words of the High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Jospeh Borrell: “This is an ambitious plan to action to strengthen the security of the European Union and defense policy at a time when we are witnessing the return of war in Europe ”.

The Compass included what the leaders decided in recent days at the Versailles summit, namely that it is necessary to “spend more on defense”, but above all “spend better”, avoiding duplication and the babel of standards that characterize armies today Europeans, organized strictly on a national basis, with a still rather fragmented arms industry. The document, underlining the need to cooperate with NATO, insists on the importance of Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, which provides for mutual assistance and aid for EU countries in the event of an attack.

The mutual assistance clause was invoked for the first time by the French government after the terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015 in Paris: its relevance was highlighted last week by the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland in a letter to the president of the European Council. Charles Michel. The two Scandinavian countries are part of the EU but not of NATO and are the first neighboring and the second bordering the Russian Federation.

To complement the EU strategy, the rapid deployment force, the Union’s first operational military nucleus, which should be ready in 2025. It should be able to count on “five thousand soldiers”. Scenarios for the operational use of the body will be outlined before the end of the year.
A stronger and more capable Europe in matters of security and defense will contribute positively to global and transatlantic security “and will be complementary to NATO, which remains the foundation of collective defense for its members”, assures the Council. “The threats are on the rise and the cost of inaction is clear. The Strategic Compass is a guide to action, ”added Borrell. «It sets an ambitious path for our security and defense policy for the next decade. It will help us address our security responsibilities, vis-à-vis our citizens and the rest of the world. If not now, when?”.