Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Change 16

AddedEXPLANATORY STATEMENT

AddedBackground

AddedThe 2023 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy will be the last of the legislature and provides the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) with the opportunity to set out its legacy and vision for the work of the EU and SEDE in the area of security and defence for the next parliamentary term.

AddedWe are witnessing a rapidly deteriorating global security situation. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is in its second year and another conflict broke out in the Middle East. The strategic environment of the European continent as a whole is highly volatile, with open or latent conflicts in most neighbouring regions, from the Caucasus to the Sahel, from the Middle East to certain areas of North Africa. However, against this backdrop, the EU has responded with unprecedented unity in support of Ukraine and has taken major political decisions to strengthen European defence including through the EU’s first ever policy statement on defence, the Strategic Compass, and the first legislative initiatives to support the procurement of defence capabilities (including ammunition for the Member States and Ukraine).

AddedAs such, this year’s Annual Report is focusing on the key developments in European defence and insists on EU institutions and Member States implementing their commitments on strengthening defence and the Common Security and Defence Policy.