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(2)    GLOBAL ISSUES

The EU has worked with the UN and other partners, exploring fresh approaches to delivering
effective multilateralism for all. This has involved keeping open channels to allow diplomacy to
work, and resisting the efforts of those who try to sow division. In this context, EU coordination has
assumed greater importance than ever, and substantial progress has been achieved in this regard.
The EU has used its combined influence to maintain a strong focus on holding members of
multilateral bodies to account for the fulfilment of their mandated responsibilities, not least
upholding the UN Charter and international law. In the same way, the EU has supported candidates
for election who are best able to represent the whole UN membership.

Inevitably, the fallout from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has affected multilateral work as
much as any other. The EU has invested considerable resources and effort in supporting work by
the UN to address the consequences of Russia’s aggression, including through the UN’s Global
Crisis Response Group. At the same time, the EU has continued to work resolutely on a positive
agenda, driven by the broad range of long-term challenges facing the whole UN membership. This
includes issues popularly associated with the UN, such as humanitarian crises, peacekeeping and
peacebuilding, as well as promoting the empowerment of young people, women and less
represented and/or vulnerable groups. The EU has consistently taken an ambitious approach to
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including by supporting follow-up of the UN
Secretary General’s ‘Our Common Agenda’ recommendations. A Communication on the new EU
Global health strategy was adopted in November 2022, supporting a strengthened Global Health
Architecture, with the World Health Organisation at its centre, strengthening capacities for
surveillance, prevention and detection abroad, including biological threats, and fighting
disinformation.

Following the Global Gateway Joint Communication in December 2021 and the adoption of the
EU-African Union Global Gateway Investment Package in February 2022, a package of Global
Gateway flagship projects for Central Asia was announced at the Samarkand EU-Central Asia
Connectivity Conference in November 2022 and for ASEAN at the EU-ASEAN
Commemorative Summit in December 2022. President von der Leyen convened the first meeting
of the Global Gateway Board on 11 December 2022, which identified operational priorities for all
Team Europe partners in 2023 to roll out Global Gateway. A package of 87 Global Gateway
flagship projects for 2023 was announced in March. In terms of working together with the private
sector, a call for application for participation in the Global Gateway Business Advisory Group was
announced in March. Global Gateway was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 April as
part of the discussion on the geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine and as one of the main
tools for working with partners internationally in a geopolitical way.

To accelerate international efforts towards a climate-resilient transition, the EEAS led outreach
activities vis-à-vis third countries, including both big emitters and small island developing states,
throughout the period and in the run up to COP27 in November 2022. In terms of energy
diplomacy, the EEAS led outreach actions including on the EU Energy Platform (AggregateEU) to


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priority gas producer countries, on support for Ukraine to counter critical infrastructure damages
deriving from the Russian war of aggression, and on Russian oil-price-cap policy. The EEAS
continued to engage in multilateral outreach actions on the Global Methane Pledge and preparations
for a global Energy Efficiency First Initiative, the promotion of green energy transition and
advocating for restoring and longer-term reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy system. The launch of
the investment plan with South Africa and the announcement of the Just Transition Partnership with
Vietnam (December 2022) were important steps to accelerate the transformation of the energy
sector in key coal-reliant emerging economies. The EEAS also promoted ambitious outcomes for
the Biodiversity COP15 in Montreal in December 2022, including preparatory work for the new
Global Biodiversity Framework. Such outreach work also covered the Wildlife Trade COP19 in
Panama in November 2022 and the Global Agreement on protection and sustainable use of
resources and biodiversity in high seas (BBNJ) in New York in March 2023. The EEAS
participated in the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York in March 2023 and promoted
transboundary water cooperation. The EEAS also led active outreach towards partner countries on
the upcoming new EU rules on deforestation.

As a direct follow-up to the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions of 18 July 2022 establishing the
EU’s digital diplomacy, the EEAS and the network of EU Digital Ambassadors continued to
support EU priorities in international initiatives, such as the Declaration for the Future of the
Internet, the Christchurch Call, the Paris Peace Forum. The EU also submitted its contributions to
the UN Global Digital Compact. Having concluded Digital Partnerships with Japan, Singapore and
the Republic of Korea, the EU announced its first Global Gateway flagship projects to cooperate on
digital connectivity, data centres and digital services with partners around the world.

On economic issues, one priority has been to support partner countries in managing the global
consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, most notably in terms of energy
and food security. Cooperation with Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs), including the EIB and
EBRD, contributed to the support to Ukraine. The EEAS cooperated closely with Commission
services on external aspects of the EU list of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions. On Anti-Money
Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), the EEAS contributed to
the development of a new AML/CFT intelligence-driven policy, together with various Commission
services, INTCEN and Europol.

The EEAS continued to put human rights at the centre of EU foreign policy during a year marked
by the Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine while the world was still battling with the
profound effects of the COVID pandemic and saw a further backsliding of democracy and human
rights. The EEAS continued to promote initiatives aimed at ensuring accountability for
international crimes committed in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against
Ukraine. It provided further support to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to the
investigations of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, notably through the EU Delegation to Ukraine,
the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine, and the Kyiv-based Atrocity Crime
Advisory Group. The EEAS also continued to facilitate EU and global coordination of support
efforts.


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Implementing fully the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024 as well as the
€1.5 billion Global Europe Thematic Programme on Human Rights and Democracy for 2021-2027,
the EU continued to use its unique set of human rights instruments, including dialogue, public and
private diplomacy, incentives and restrictive measures, and partnership with civil society and other
stakeholders. In particular, the EU engaged in multiple human rights dialogues and consultations,
including the resumed dialogue with China in February 2023, and continued the annual Strategic
Dialogue between the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the EUSR for Human Rights.
The annual EU-NGO Forum in December debated avenues to end impunity for serious human
rights violations and abuses, ensuring justice and accountability. The special programme to
support Afghans’ participation in the Global Campus on Human Rights continued to operate.
Listings under the 2020 EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime were both renewed and
expanded, including thorough first-ever listings for sexual and gender-based violence in conflict
adopted in March 2023, while many other listings for human rights violations and abuses were
adopted under geographic sanctions regimes.

In UN human rights fora, notably the Human Rights Council in Geneva, successful initiatives
included the EU-led Urgent Debate on women and girls in Afghanistan, as well as the resolution on
the situation of human rights in Afghanistan which strengthened the mandate of the Special
Rapporteur, and resolutions on DPRK and Myanmar, Eritrea and Belarus, Ethiopia and Burundi.
The EU continued to condemn strongly the grave violation of human rights and humanitarian law in
Ukraine and contributed to the renewal of the independent Commission of Inquiry. EU Member
States also carried forward a resolution creating the mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the human
rights situation in the Russian Federation.

As the global backslide of democracy continues, the EU sustained its commitment to support
inclusive, transparent and credible electoral processes through the deployment of observation
missions. The EU deployed Electoral Observation Missions to Kenya, Sao Tomé e Principe,
Lesotho, Nigeria, Paraguay, Sierra Leone and Guatemala. The missions illustrate the EU’s
commitment to strengthen public trust in electoral systems, enhance the resilience of democratic
institutions and contribute to mitigate the risk of election-related violence in often challenging
political and security contexts. Missions issued recommendations to improve the overall electoral
framework, strengthen the accountability of state institutions.

The EEAS continued to address the external aspects of migration as an integral part of the EU’s
foreign policy and dialogue with partner countries and regions around the world and in line with the
New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Comprehensive, mutually beneficial and tailor-made
partnerships with countries of origin, transit and destination at bilateral and regional level were
promoted. The EEAS has been actively engaged with supporting persons fleeing Ukraine, in
particular third-country nationals, following the Russian aggression and has supported the fight
against trafficking in the framework of the May 2022 Common Anti-trafficking Plan for Ukraine.




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Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The EEAS continued to promote the universality and indivisibility of human rights for all,
including non-discrimination throughout EU’s external action; in bilateral external actions and in
multilateral and regional fora. Gender equality and women's empowerment continued to be a
priority, supported through the implementation of the EU's Action Plan on Gender Equality and
Women's Empowerment in External Action 2021–2025 (GAP III) and the related national and
regional implementation plans (CLIPs).

In regards to the continuous implementation of the EU Strategic Approach to Women, Peace and
Security (WPS) and its Action Plan, the EEAS took action to further engrain a gender perspective
in EU diplomacy, political dialogue and policy decisions. Promoting gender-responsive leadership
(GRL) plays an important role in achieving this goal, and significant efforts were carried out in this
regard, including the organisation of a session on GRL in the Ambassadors conference in October
2022 and through the conduct of a pilot programme for senior leadership and management
Headquarters and in the Delegations. Women, Peace and Security was consistently raised in
different bilateral political, security and human rights dialogues, informal working groups and
consultations with partner countries, based on the country contexts, with objective of identifying
specific actions and deliverables. The EU continued to support the full, equal and meaningful
participation and leadership of women and girls in conflict prevention and resolution. Additionally,
the EU systematically put gender equality, women’s empowerment, as well as the
implementation of the WPS agenda at the heart of its regional partnerships, such as with the
Council of Europe, the African Union, and the League of Arab States.

As a leader in gender equality, the EU is also a vocal advocate for gender equality, women’s and
girls’ rights in bilateral political and human rights dialogues. Through these dialogues, the EU also
supported the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) across the world.

On sexual and gender-based violence, the EU continues its efforts on a global scale, by supporting
and protecting survivors, but also by holding perpetrators accountable. Importantly, the EU strives
to address the root causes of violence while strengthening legal frameworks and institutions as well
as education, improve services for survivors and access to justice for victims, support women’s
rights organisations and civil society organisations.

In November 2022, the EU complemented its existing policy framework on WPS through adopting
a new set of Council Conclusions on Women, Peace and Security. These conclusions put forward
stronger linkages between gender equality and WPS in context of the changing geopolitical security
framework and expressed concern about the worldwide backlash against women and girls’ full and
equal enjoyment of human rights and the declining security and safety for women and girls
including notably the contexts of Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iran.




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In the case of Ukraine, the EU has supported in various ways the work to ensure full accountability
for sexual and gender-based crimes including with a gender-responsive, survivor-centered and
trauma-sensitive approach in all efforts to respond to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,
and its impact on women and girls. The EU liaised closely with the UN Special Representative of
the Secretary–General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to implement the Framework on cooperation
between the Government of Ukraine and the UN on prevention and response to conflict-related
sexual violence. In April 2022, the mandate of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security
Sector Reform in Ukraine was amended to include the capacity to investigate any international
crimes committed in the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, including conflict-
related sexual violence. The EU also provided support to local civil society organisations and first
responders and to specialised investigation teams led by the office of the Prosecutor General of
Ukraine.

The EU continued supporting the Afghan Women Leaders Forum (AWLF), which had been
launched in March 2022, through forum meetings and by facilitating additional platforms for
Afghan women to engage on topics of concern. The forum now brings together over 100 Afghan
Women Leaders from diverse backgrounds, continuing to aim to ensuring the participation of
Afghan women in the political dialogue concerning Afghanistan. During a visit to the Human
Rights Council in Geneva in September, members of the AWLF met inter alia with EU Member
States as well as with UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, continuously seeking broader
platforms and entry points for engagement.

In 2022, an EEAS Agenda for Diversity and Inclusion for the years 2023 – 2025 has been
elaborated and launched on 16 February 2023 by EEAS Secretary-General Sannino in an event with
staff from Headquarters and EU Delegations. The Agenda is the first EEAS strategy that covers all
grounds of discrimination, and brings together both internal and external aspects of diversity and
inclusion. Building on the principles of equality and non-discrimination, the Agenda aims to uphold
these core principles and promote equality and inclusion as a matter of human rights, but also of
peace and security, social justice and economic progress. Main objectives of the agenda are to
further strengthening existing mechanisms and enhancing the awareness and skills of staff to further
mainstreaming of equality, diversity and inclusion so that it becomes engrained in all EU policies
and external actions. While the Agenda sets out the overarching framework encompassing both
internal as well as external policy aspects linked to Diversity & Inclusion, a more detailed action
plan focusing on diversity and inclusion in the EEAS workplace, that is aligned with the
Commission action plan on Diversity and Inclusion, has been developed.

Strategic Communications
As a top priority, the EEAS continued to raise awareness on Russia’s increased use of foreign
information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including disinformation accompanying its
illegal, unjustified and unprovoked aggression of Ukraine. The EEAS exposed Russia’s
manipulative behaviours to weaponise its diplomatic network and official channels and Kremlin’s
use of FIMI campaigns to not only target Ukraine, but also the international community in order to
undermine solidarity with Ukraine. The EEAS reinforced partnerships with G7 and like-minded


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countries to condemn the war, strengthen resilience, and impose the costs on Russia for gross
violation of international law and principles. While the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine
has led the response to FIMI, the EEAS ensured a comprehensive approach to the EU’s response
across diverse threat actors and geographical regions, in particular strengthening situational
awareness of EU Delegations in conflict prone countries.

Through the work of the Strategic Communication, Task Forces and Information Analysis
Division, the EEAS has further stepped up efforts to strengthen situational awareness on FIMI
actors. Based on a novel, comprehensive framework and methodology for systematic collection of
evidence of FIMI incidents, the EEAS has published its first Report on Foreign Information and
Manipulation threats, highlighting the analysis on actors such as Russia and China, and their FIMI
operations. In addition, as foreseen in the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, the EEAS
led the effort to create an open source, decentralised and interoperable framework for a
collaborative, community driven approach against FIMI. This will increase the efficiency of
sharing FIMI threat insights between different stakeholders and build a true defender community,
facilitated by an Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (FIMI ISAC).

In 2022, the EEAS remained closely engaged with the Members States, international partners and
likeminded through the Rapid Alert System (RAS) and shared FIMI insights related to the war in
Ukraine and beyond, such as the tactics, techniques and procedures used by other foreign actors to
conduct FIMI operations.

In cooperation with the European Commission and the Member States, the EEAS continued to
develop appropriate polices, strategies and instruments to respond to the threat. The EU
framework for a coordinated response to hybrid campaigns has been strengthened through the
development of an EU Toolbox to counter FIMI (FIMI Toolbox). The FIMI Toolbox brings
together all relevant instruments that enable the EU and its Member States to effectively respond to
FIMI and allows for strengthening existing and developing new instruments to impose costs on
FIMI perpetrators, including the development of international norms and principles on FIMI,
in the future.

The whole of society approach remained a key element in the EEAS’ work to prevent, deter and
respond to FIMI. Public resilience and awareness of FIMI and capacity building in the
Neighbourhood and Western Balkans were key action areas for the EEAS, supported by the
network of 27 Stratcom officers deployed in the EU Delegations. The EEAS conducted awareness
campaigns and dedicated training on how to address disinformation and FIMI to a broad range of
stakeholders and partners, such as independent media, academia, civil society, fact-checking and
media literacy organisations. The EEAS worked closely with the government of Ukraine, civil
society and media partners and supported their strategic communications efforts on the ongoing
Russian aggression. Dedicated communication campaigns, such as “ARTvsWAR” and “Faces of
Ukraine”, helped show the dimension of the war and contributed to keeping Ukraine as well as
EU’s support to the country as a prominent topic amongst the EU audience.



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The EUvsDisinfo campaign continued to raise awareness of pro-Kremlin information manipulation
and disinformation, and has attracted over 2.7 million visitors in 2022. Close to 20 million were
reached via the EUvsDisinfo social media accounts. EUvsDisinfo awareness raising products have
been made available and consistently shared with EU Delegations, the European Commission and
the European Parliament Representations, the European Member States and international partners.
Selected EUvsDisinfo products have been translated into multiple languages, including all the
official EU languages, as well as Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian, Chinese,
Arabic and others. EEAS East Stratcom Task Force launched “Learn”, a training resource, created
to educate on the basics of disinformation and information manipulation.

Activities in the Western Balkans continued to focus on narrowing or closing the space for anti
EU-narratives, raising awareness and building resilience to FIMI, as well as building capacity for
the EU’s partners in the region. In 2022, the EEAS has engaged with over 250 journalists
discussing the most effective ways of supporting and practicing professional journalism in the
region, which is of key importance for fighting FIMI. The joint work with institutions and civil
society actors aimed to strengthen their capacity to identify, analyse and autonomously counter
FIMI actors who aim to undermine the EU’s role in the region and the strategic choice of a
European path for the Western Balkans. Engagement with Civil Society Organisations on societal
resilience activities remained crucial and encompassed workshops on media and information
literacy and awareness-raising digital campaigns. Ahead of the EU–Western Balkans Summit, the
EEAS organised the EU-Western Balkans Media Conference in Albania and gathered about 200
journalists and media professionals from the region. The EEAS launched the first EU funded
studies on disinformation and FIMI in Albania and Kosovo, and organised capacity-building events
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, drawing attention to Russia’s manipulation of information
environments in the Western Balkans and beyond.

In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted significant attention among pan-Arab media,
demonstrating the value of the @EUinArabic as a leading EU strategic communication tool for the
MENA region. The EEAS, jointly with EU Delegations across the region made it a priority to
promote the EU’s response and counter Russian disinformation narratives on the consequences of
its war against Ukraine and other FIMI activities.

In 2022, the EEAS continued to strengthen its situational awareness of Chinese FIMI operations,
through monitoring activities, engagement with civil society researchers, and outreach to EU
Member States and like-minded partners. The EEAS has identified a number of incidents of
disinformation and information manipulation content moving between the Chinese and Russian
online disinformation ecosystems. Particular attention was given to the Indo-Pacific region, in line
with EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, where EEAS has established FIMI-related exchanges with a
number of governments. The EEAS has also initiated capacity building and resilience projects in
the Indo-Pacific region, to support building resilience of local information environments to FIMI.




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The deteriorating situation in terms of targeted actions of information manipulation and interference
against countries and societies in wider Sub-Saharan Africa, and other geographic regions in
Africa, Asia and to a certain extent Latin America, led the EEAS to build capacity in terms of
analysis and response to FIMI from an EU perspective in the Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indo-
Pacific region. In response to the January 2023 Foreign Affairs Council call for the creation of an
EEAS Stratcom Task Force focusing on Africa, a nucleus of a Task Force Africa has been set up
within the EEAS and supported EU Delegations in Sub-Saharan Africa on Strategic
communications and countering FIMI. The EEAS has reinforced Stratcom capabilities for the
CSDP missions and operations in Africa, namely through increased joint actions by EEAS
Stratcom and EEAS Crisis Response Centre. Pilot projects were also initiated with EU Delegations
in Africa on capacity building for civil society response to FIMI. This resulted in an increased
situational awareness on the ground and new tools/venues to counter foreign information
manipulation. To be fully operational, the Task Force on strategic communication in Sub-Saharan
Africa will require significant additional human and financial resources on the ground and in
Headquarters to respond to the challenge posed by a deterioration of the EU’s image in this part of
the world.

Public diplomacy and communication campaigns
In today’s competitive information environment, Strategic Communication and Public
Diplomacy have become essential foreign policy tools to convey EU messages and explain EU
actions to third countries’ citizens to facilitate cooperation and, ultimately, achieving EU policy
goals.

One example is the proactive communication campaign of marking one year of the Russian war
against Ukraine in February 2023 that enabled the EU to present Ukraine’s narrative, pre-empt a
wave of Russian disinformation and complement the diplomatic outreach efforts in the run up to the
vote of the last UNGA resolution on the war of aggression against Ukraine. The HR/VP`s op-Ed
entitled “One year of war against Ukraine: acting together to ensure international law will prevail”
was translated and featured in some 90 countries and more than 150 media outlets globally.

During the year, EEAS launched a number of thematic campaigns, including a digital campaign
for the UN General Assembly meeting, reaching 70 million people globally. The EEAS built a
network of young influencers across the world for a #OurVoiceOurFuture campaign.

For women’s day, the EEAS launched a global campaign promoting women in the fields of
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and other male-dominated roles,
against all odds. The purpose of this campaign is to denounce structural discrimination, sexual and
gender-based violence, persistent gender gaps and to support the empowerment of women and girls
to unlock their full potential.




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The EEAS celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
(IDAHOT) with the aim of raising awareness about the violations of the rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) persons, sharing testimonials of activists from
different countries, promoting the human rights of LGBTIQ+ persons.

Public diplomacy activities continued to build trust and support for EU policies and principles
by developing networks and new alliances. This included recurrent engagement with students,
academics, youth groups, think tanks, media, business communities, civil society or cultural
professionals as well as initiatives fostering people-to-people contacts.

Both in 2022 and in 2023 the EEAS implemented two successful EU OPEN DAY activities with
around 5000 visitors each, marking a true communication success after the pandemic. For this
occasion, plenty of activities tailored to visitors of all ages, including workshops, conferences,
cultural events, talks to EU Ambassadors, interactive materials were an inspiration for EU
Delegations, which tailored and adapted their own activities around Europe Day to local
circumstances.

Furthermore, during the reporting period, the EEAS started the preparation for significant EU
presence and public diplomacy activities, the Expo 2025 Osaka, in line with the College decision
of June 2021. Additional specific activities were the EU Alumni Engagement Initiative (project
allowing to engage with alumni of a variety of EU programmes and development of an online
networking platform), the EU Film Festival (project providing movies local film festivals and
supporting side events and trainings), and the Cultural Relations Platform (EU-funded project
supporting cooperation between European and global cultural and creative sectors, with over 38
activities in EU Delegations and HQ, 41 studies and 85 events taking place).

EEAS Crisis Response Centre
Over the last years, the EU has faced a series of major crises – from COVID and the on-going
Russian war of aggression on Ukraine to the security crises in Afghanistan and in Sudan – that
serve as harsh reminders of the increasingly unstable global context in which EU Delegations work.
In this context and in line with the objectives laid down in the Strategic Compass, the High
Representative decided on the creation of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre (CRC) to serve as a
permanent crisis response capability, in order to review and strengthen the EU’s ability to prepare,
evaluate and react to emerging security and consular crises outside its borders. To this end, the CRC
brings together the EU Situation Room (24/7) as well as the Consular Affairs, Field Security and
crisis management and coordination capabilities of the EEAS. The CRC is ultimately responsible
for:

   1. Serving as a permanent capability that is the first line of response in case of crisis, managing
      the EEAS Crisis Response Mechanism and working in close cooperation with EU
      Institutions, Member States and like-minded partners;
   2. Ensuring the safety of EU staff in Delegations around the world, in line with our duty of
      care;


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      3. Supporting Member States to ensure that all EU citizens (including unrepresented citizens)
         get the help they are entitled to in a consular crisis;
      4. Providing 24/7 early-warning and situational awareness, bringing together all relevant
         information sources in a crisis;
      5. Ensuring the business continuity of EU Delegations, as well as the crisis preparedness of the
         EEAS in headquarters and in Delegations via contingency plans, training and exercises.

In responding to the abovementioned crises, the EEAS worked hard to enable its diplomats and
network of Delegations around the world to continue to do their essential work, even in difficult
environments. In the case of the crisis in Sudan, ensuring close cooperation and coordination with
EU Member States and like-minded partners’ crisis structures proved vital in the safe evacuation of
EU staff and facilitating the repatriation of EU citizens.

(3)      COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has marked a ‘Zeitenwende’ in European
history and triggered the provision of unprecedented support to Ukraine by the EU and its Member
States. It also considerably accelerated the EU’s ongoing work in the Common Security and
Defence Policy (CSDP) domain across various work strands, with a view of strengthening the
EU’s capacity to respond to security challenges and to consolidate its role as global player, be able
to protect its citizens, as well as to provide support to its partners on security and defence. This
work further intensified throughout 2022 and in the first half of 2023.

In March 2022, EU Member States adopted the Strategic Compass, which will guide the EU’s
actions in security and defence for the next 5-10 years. Throughout the past year, the
implementation has continued steadily, with significant progress having been achieved across its
four pillars (Act, Secure, Invest, Partner). The HR/VP presented the first annual progress report to
Foreign and Defence Ministers on 20 March 2023, where Member States recognised the concrete
advancements and urged for a full and swift implementation of all commitments.

The mobilisation of the European Peace Facility (EPF) in response to Russia’s aggression against
Ukraine has marked a radical paradigm shift for EU foreign and security policy. Military support to
Ukraine amounting to EUR 5.6 billion in total has been committed by the end of May 2023. This
includes EUR 2 billion for the Three Track initiative to support the delivery and joint procurement
of ammunition to Ukraine as agreed in March 2022. The EPF also financed military components of
African-led peace support operations under the general programme for support to the African
Union, as well as a number of assistance measures aimed at strengthening capacities of partners in
the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, the Western Balkans, and in Africa. It has also covered
the common costs of military CSDP missions and operations. The European Council in December
2022 acknowledged that the evolution of the international security environment may require further
increases of the EPF budget until 2027, up to a total increase of EUR 5.5 billion. The EPF top up of
EUR 2 billion was activated in March 2023 and discussions on the activation of the second top up
are ongoing.


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