In a new paper, the European Movement International argues that in order to protect Europe’s interests both at home and abroad, the European Union offers the best forum for cooperation on defence and security issues. Within the context of High Representative Federica Mogherini’s EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, to be presented in June, the Movement urges the Union to streamline existing strategies and priorities and to focus on coordinated, impactful and joint action.

The European Movement believes that the EU Global Strategy should begin with the core function of the European Union: ensuring peace and security on the European continent and beyond, while respecting European values. Furthermore, it should define European interests and decide on a limited set of key priorities. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Addressing the causes of current refugee flows, such as the conflict in Syria, and ensuring that the so-called EU Agenda on Migration is fully coherent with the overall direction of the EU’s foreign and security policy.
• Ensuring the recently reviewed European Neighbourhood Policy is closely integrated with the EU Global Strategy.
• Enlargement should similarly be an integral part of the strategy. Based on strict but fair and credible conditionality, with special emphasis on human rights and democracy, the enlargement process fosters the rule of law, economic development, good governance as well as good neighbourly relations among (potential) candidate countries.
• Understanding the strong geopolitical aspect of Europe’s energy dependency, and addressing these security vulnerabilities, should lead to a focus on diversification, interconnection and integration of European energy markets.
• Providing space for the EU’s development cooperation, which can help answer a variety of crucial challenges. Assistance in establishing good governance, human and economic development in its neighbourhood and worldwide will prevent conflicts in critical situations such as the current migration crisis.
• Countering (online) propaganda and cyberwarfare. EU Member States need to invest more in sharing information and improving digital security, while respecting the privacy of citizens.

Download the full position below and read the report from our event ‘Can Europe Make us Feel Safe?’ here.