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The EU has significantly increased defence spending, including €8.8 billion for the European Defence Fund and €1.7 billion for military mobility. Member states’ defence investments rose by 158.7% between 2021 and 2026, according to the European Council.
Yet, according to the European Commission, Europe lacks a mechanism for rapid crisis response and coordinated defence efforts.
Proposed by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen this September, the European Security Council (ESC) would be Europe’s first permanent crisis-management forum, keeping security and defence on the agenda year-round.
The Security Council wants to improve operational unity, speed coordination, strengthen strategic direction, and unify crisis responses across member states.
The ESC reflects a broader effort to strengthen Europe's defence and strategic autonomy as concerns over Russian hybrid attacks, airspace violations, cyberattacks, and sabotage grow. Strained US ties and repeated threats to cut NATO funding have also pushed the EU to develop alternatives and rely more on its own security capabilities.
The proposal would bring together EU leaders and international partners, including Ukraine, Canada, Norway, and the UK. Through the emergency security protocol, modelled on NATO’s Article 4, members could call consultations when they believe their security, territorial integrity, or political independence is threatened, and plan a coordinated response.
The Commission's idea echoes a 2018 proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an ESC, set out in the Meseberg Declaration, “Renewing Europe’s promises of security and prosperity”.
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