The Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy presented by High
Representative Federica Mogherini on 28 June 2016 setsout a ‘Shared Vision, Common
Action: A Stronger Europe’, in response to the Member States’ request for a new
framework in which the EU can tackle the challenges and key changes to the EU’s
environment identified in a strategic assessment carried out in 2015. Many
expectations were raised ahead of its publication but itsoon became clear that defence
would be a central element of the Global Strategy. A number of defence priorities
emerged from the exchanges between the main stakeholders: a central role for the
common security and defence policy (CSDP); a clear level of ambition with tools to
match; emphasis on EU-NATO cooperation; and concrete follow-up measures such as
a ‘White Book’ on European defence. Seen in this light,the Global Strategy captures the
urgent need to face the challenges of today’s environment and it may prove to be a
major turning point in EU foreign policy and security thinking. It emphasizes the value
of hard power — including via a strong partnership with NATO — along with soft
power. It will not be easy for the Member States to match the level of ambition set in
the Global Strategy and its success will be judged in terms of the follow-up and the
measures taken to implement it. Could the first step be a White Book on European
Defence?