Will the EU establish a European Security and Defence Council? The idea returns

At the end of January, the EU Commissioner for Defence published a document devoted to the European Union’s security policy. According to Andrius Kubilius, the organisation has reached a point where it needs to consider building a common European army, as well as establishing an institution to coordinate the most important decisions in the broadly understood area of security.

EU's foreign policy to shift?

Several months after the publication of the document in question, the second issue once again became the subject of increased media attention. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kubilius reiterated that a European Security and Defence Council could serve as a potential forum for discussing the most important issues related to European defence. The platform would also enable individual states to assume greater responsibility for defending Europe against the Russian threat. It would also constitute a partial response to the decreasing presence of US forces on the Old Continent.  

According to Michel Barnier, the former EU commissioner and Brexit negotiator, the new Council could have the potential to improve or change the existing offices currently responsible for conducting individual EU policies. As he stated during the recent Globsec conference in Prague, the European Union should assess the effectiveness of its foreign policy apparatus — for example, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, a position currently held by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

What is this council for?

Although the idea of the Council primarily concerns European Union member states, it appears that it would not be limited solely to EU countries. The FT article also points to the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Norway. What would the European Security and Defence Council focus on? At this stage, there are no details. It is not known what powers the new body would have, nor is it entirely clear what exactly the Council would be tasked with. For now, only general areas are being mentioned, such as the defence industry, intelligence, and „strategic technologies.” Another open question is where the Council would sit in relation to organisations such as the European Union and NATO. Would the new entity serve as a link between them? Today, it is difficult to say.