The leaders of the European Union member states agreed to develop and adopt a so-called common “strategic compass” in the field of security and defense.
This was stated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, reports by DW.
“We want to increase investment in defense, as well as increase civilian and military capabilities and operational readiness,” Michel said.
The purpose of the “strategic compass” is to determine what the EU should be able to do in a joint response in certain crisis situations, as well as what it should not resort to. The development of the document should be completed by March 2022.
The document also aims to achieve greater strategic autonomy, which will allow the EU to promote its interests and values at the global level while reducing the influence of the United States and activating countries such as China and Russia.
The strategy is based on a threat analysis completed at the end of 2020. This secret document, based on intelligence data, describes, among other things, what threats may arise from Russia and China.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also joined the discussion of certain issues during the EU video summit.
In recent years, the EU countries have been trying to coordinate their actions more closely in the field of security and defense, for example, in the issue of financing joint defense projects.
