European defence: The future of EU missions
After the European Council meeting in March 2024, EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated that Europe had reached the Demosthenes moment by putting defence at the centre of EU policies. He referred to a set of actions undertaken by the EU, including the beefing up of military assistance to Ukraine, increasing defence budgets, boosting the defence industry and launching new missions under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The latter is receiving less attention in the media and in political debates, but EU missions are nonetheless more relevant than ever. Today, the largest military EU mission is taking place in Europe: the military training of Ukrainian military personnel in Germany, Poland and other member states. In the Middle East, the EU has launched Operation Aspides for protecting merchant ships against drone and missile attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
