On EU strategic defence and security partnerships
A-10-2026-0005
Committee on Security and Defence · Rapporteur: Michał Szczerba
- Voted on · Adopted 440–119–85 · See the decision →
- Full procedure 2025/2119
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The report addresses EU strategic defence and security partnerships (SDPs), stressing their necessity for EU security and strategic autonomy, and calls for stronger cooperation with NATO, Ukraine, the US and other like-minded partners.¶¶¶ It urges the EU to deepen existing SDPs, explore new ones, and enhance cooperation in areas such as defence industry, cybersecurity, maritime security, and border management, while ensuring democratic oversight and parliamentary involvement.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Security and Defence proposes a resolution that calls for strengthening EU strategic defence and security partnerships, deepening cooperation with NATO and like-minded partners, and enhancing parliamentary oversight.¶¶¶
Key points
- Underlines that SDPs are essential for the EU to respond to threats, enhance strategic autonomy, and complement NATO, while remaining committed to multilateralism.¶
- Identifies Russia's aggression as the most significant threat and calls for reinforcing EU defence and deterrence capabilities, while noting hybrid threats and climate change impacts.¶¶
- Highlights the critical EU-NATO partnership, calling for full implementation of joint declarations, increased information sharing, and a stronger European pillar within NATO.¶¶¶
- Calls for simplified and harmonised rules on defence materials to build a competitive and interoperable European industrial supply chain, in synergy with NATO planning.¶
- Welcomes existing SDPs with eight countries and calls for structured industrial cooperation to scale up EU-based production capacities and secure critical raw materials.¶¶
- Prioritises deepening SDPs with Norway, the UK and Canada, and encourages exploring formalised partnerships with the US and Ukraine, including defence industrial cooperation.¶¶¶
- Calls for enhanced cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, Western Balkans, Black Sea region, and other like-minded countries, and for additional SDPs based on shared values.¶¶¶
- Stresses the importance of EU-UN and other multilateral partnerships, including with the African Union and regional organisations, and calls for integrating the Women, Peace and Security agenda.¶¶
- Calls for strengthening cooperation in the Southern Neighbourhood, focusing on maritime security, counter-terrorism, and border management.¶
- Deplores Hungary's obstruction of the European Peace Facility and urges member states to pressure Hungary to end its blockade, while calling for alternative solutions.¶
- Calls for democratic oversight and transparency in defence industry partnerships, and for securing supply chains to reduce strategic dependencies, including on China.¶
- Requests regular reports to Parliament on SDP implementation and negotiations, and promotes parliamentary diplomacy and capacity-building initiatives with partner parliaments.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- EU member states, particularly those on the eastern flank, are called to strengthen defence capabilities and border management.¶¶
- Partner countries with SDPs (Norway, UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Moldova, Albania, North Macedonia) are targeted for deepened cooperation.¶¶
- Ukraine is a strategic priority partner, with calls for formalised SDP and defence industrial cooperation.¶
- The European External Action Service and Commission are tasked with implementing SDPs and reporting to Parliament.¶¶
- The Hungarian government is criticised for blocking European Peace Facility support to Ukraine and Armenia.¶
Figures and deadlines
Legal basis: Title V of the Treaty on European Union, provisions on the common security and defence policy.¶