MSC organizes second Workshop on EU Foreign Policy

On December 13, 2021, the MSC hosted a digital workshop titled "Enhancing Capabilities and Instruments in EU Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy". The event followed up on the MSC Workshop in November which focused on coherence and unity in European foreign policy. In a small, confidential format, a group of high-ranking representatives from EU institutions and governments as well as senior experts from academia and think tanks from across Europe came together. After introductory remarks by Elmar Brok, MSC Senior Advisor and long-time Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament (AFET), Reinhard Bütikofer, member of the European Parliament and foreign policy coordinator and spokesman of the Greens/EFA as well as Kristi Raik, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security, gave keynote speeches. Dr Julian Voje, Head of Policy at the MSC, moderated the event.

In light of the rapid geopolitical changes and the complex threat situation Europe faces, the participants highlighted that the EU urgently needs to strengthen its foreign and security policy capabilities and instruments. To do so, the support of the EU member states is decisive.

Towards a greater Weltpolitikfähigkeit of the EU

Although several participants underlined that the EU has already made some important steps towards a greater Weltpolitikfähigkeit, the discussants largely agreed that these steps are by far not sufficient. According to them, the lack of progress is particularly apparent in the field of security and defense. Some participants argued that projects like PESCO and EDF are important inititiatives; yet, they criticized that so far, the initiatives have changed little in terms of actual defense capabilities. To change that, higher defense spending by the EU member states is crucial. Besides, deeper cooperation in defense and security within the Union is needed - inter alia in development and procurement - to achieve synergy effects, enhance interoperability, and reduce costs.

Concerning the recent developments in the field of EU security and defense policy, participants intensively discussed the results of the Strategic Compass. Some underlined that the Compass might foster a shared threat perception and threat analysis and might thus contribute to enhancing a common strategic direction. To strengthen the support of the EU member states for deeper cooperation in security and defense, participants argued that it is decisive to consider the different national threat perceptions and to highlight the objective of complimentarity with NATO.

Besides enhancing capabilities in security and defense, several participants stressed that in order to strengthen the international role of the EU it is necessary to leverage the Union’s economic weight in a stronger way and to better interlink political and economic tools. Yet, according to the view of some participants, the EU increasingly achieves to do so, for example by introducing initiatives like the infrastructure project Global Gateway and the planned Anti-Coercion Instrument. In addition to combining (geo-)political interests, security, and the economy, participants argued that the Union needs to make use of the whole range of its foreign policy tools like in diplomacy, trade, development, and neighborhood policies and needs to better integrate the EU’s internal and external policy instruments like in climate and digital policy.

Pros and Cons of Qualified Majority Voting

Concerning the foreign policy decision making process, a controvery emerged around the question of extending qualified majority voting (QMV). While one participant voiced concerns that QMV might further exacerbate the polarization within the Union, others saw it as necessity on the way towards a stronger international role of the EU. Some participants pointed to coalitions of the willing as another way of pushing EU foreign policy cooperation forward. In addition to that, several discussants argued that the European parliament as well as the national parliaments need to be more strongly included in the EU foreign policy process – also to enhance the connection to the citizens.

Several panelists highlighted that the Conference on the Future of Europe can provide an important impetus for the Union, including in the field of foreign and security policy. With the workshops on EU foreign policy, the MSC contributes to this impulse and fosters the debate on how to strengthen the EU's international role. The key results of both workshops will be uploaded to the CoFoE digital platform and can be further discussed by the broader public on this platform. In addition to the two events, MSC staff contributed to two Citizens’ Panels of the Conference on the Future of Europe as experts.

Agenda for Action

Building on the discussions of both MSC workshops and further background talks, the MSC compiled an agenda for action, titled "Moving Ahead: Strengthening EU Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy." (94 KB)

About the MSC Workshops for Conference on the Future of Europe

The workshops are part of the MSC Global Order program that aims to promote the debate on the international system, global governance mechanisms, and systemic competition.