The EU as a Global Security Actor: Military Assistance to Partner States

Closed-door seminar organized by IRIS in partnership with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), as part of the Europe, European Union, NATO and Defence, Strategy, Armaments programmes.

The European Union’s approach to global peace and security has rapidly evolved from crisis management to providing military equipment and training to partner states to enhance their capabilities. Through the European Peace Facility (EPF), an off-budget instrument, the EU has so far pledged more than 17 billion euros for military equipment, predominantly for Ukraine, but also for a range of beneficiaries across the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia.

This closed-door event aims to address the following questions:

• How has the European Peace Facility (EPF) been implemented so far?
• Which potential challenges in its implementation should be considered?
• How well is the EPF coordinated with CSDP missions and other EU’s tools for peace and security? How coherent are the EU’s instruments and initiatives supporting Ukraine and how do they address the industrial dimension of military assistance?
• How does the EU’s approach compare to bilateral military assistance provided by France?
• Is there room for more coordination to increase the effectiveness of European security assistance?

As part of the discussion, preliminary research findings from the “Safeguarding Common Interests: The EU’s Military Assistance to Partner Countries” project, implemented by SIPRI and funded by the Stiftung Mercator, will be presented. The discussion will then focus on an open exchange among participants, held under the Chatham House Rule.