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THE DEFENCE POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A GLOBAL STRATEGY ON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY
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citizens and territories, and this in turn calls for
the articulation of an authentic defence policy
that is separate from European foreign policy (as
occurs within member states).
The first steps in this direction are now being
taken. The first of these is the Global Strategy
on Foreign and Security Policy, which involves
agreement based on common values and seeks
to intervene pragmatically in the regulation of
global governance through the combined ac-
tion of a stronger Europe. In order to achieve
this goal, we are seeing the development of a
strategically autonomous defence policy de-
signed to defend citizens and territories. The
second step is to be found in a series of con-
crete decisions that have been taken in the
sphere of defence policy (some of them en-
dorsed by all 27 remaining members of the EU)
with the aim of achieving the objective of stra-
tegic autonomy based on an autonomous de-
fence capability.
The “Declaration of the leaders of 27 mem-
ber states and of the European Council, the
European Parliament and the European
Commission” of 25 March 2017, known as the
Rome Declaration, pledges to work towards “a
safe and secure Europe: a Union where all citi-
zens feel safe and can move freely, where our
external borders are secured, with an efficient,
responsible and sustainable migration policy, re-
specting international norms; a Europe deter-
mined to fight terrorism and organised crime”.
The declaration goes on to identify the goal of
“a Union ready to take more responsibilities and
to assist in creating a more competitive and in-
tegrated defence industry; a Union committed
to strengthening its common security and de-
fence, also in cooperation and complementarity
with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, tak-
ing into account national circumstances and le-
gal commitments; a Union engaged in the
United Nations and standing for a rules-based
multilateral system, proud of its values and pro-
tective of its people, promoting free and fair
trade and a positive global climate policy”.