Borrell Presents 'Strategic Compass' This Afternoon Following EUCO Adoption

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell is set to present the EU's 'Strategic Compass' - a major new EU programme of defence and security arrangements and planning - to a joint meeting of the EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence commitees this afternoon at 1600CET, following its adoption by the European Council last night.

• Pierre Morcos at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies tweets a useful threadon the Compass, select comments below: "[...] The Strategic Compass is not just an additional strategy for the EU with lofty ambitions but few tangible initiatives."
• "New initiatives: the Strategic Compass lays out concrete initiatives in 4 areas.
  • [...]Act: Reinforced EU missions/operations with more “robust” mandates, a more flexible decision-making process and more financial solidarity. The creation, by 2025, of an “EU Rapid Deployment Capacity”, which will allow the EU to deploy up to 5000 troops, with land, air and maritime components, into non-permissive environments.
  • Secure: Boosted intelligence capacities, with regular threat assessments [...]. EU toolbox on hybrid threats; and on foreign information manipulation and interference
  • Invest: More defense spending and additional incentives for collaborative investments.
  • Partner: NATO: need to “expand our strategic partnership, political dialogue & cooperation”. US: “Our partnership is of strategic importance and we must deepen our cooperation”. UK: “We remain open to a broad and ambitious security and defence engagement”
• EU statement here:https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-rel... and full document PDF can be found here: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7...
• EU leaders are expected to deliver final sign-off on the Strategic Compass at the EUCO Summit this Thursday/Friday.