InvigoratEU The Impact of Security and Defence Factors on Resilience Building (D8.2)

Long Policy Report on the impact of security and defence factors on resilience building

This report examines how the European Union’s evolving security and defence posture – accelerated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – shapes resilience building in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans (ENWB). It argues that the EU’s shift from a predominantly civilian power to a more defence-oriented geopolitical actor significantly affects enlargement, neighbourhood policies, and the Union’s credibility as a security provider.

Resilience in the security and defence sectors is conceptualised as a multidimensional process grounded in adaptability, robustness, deterrence, and civil–military coordination. Drawing on the InvigoratEU framework, the report introduces a parallel “Triple R” perspective – readiness, robustness, and resolve – to assess EU capabilities and expectations regarding defence modernisation, security sector reform, and the management of hybrid threats in ENWB countries. This approach highlights both the Union’s strengths, such as improved preparedness, coordination, and civil–military cooperation, and its persistent weaknesses, including fragmented decision-making and uneven implementation of policy tools.

Empirically, the report finds that the EU’s “rearming turn” supports resilience in ENWB countries but reveals capability–expectations gaps. Although CSDP missions, assistance to cope with hybrid threats, and capacity-building initiatives have strengthened resilience structurally, limited access to EU defence instruments, reliance on political conditionality, and exposure to Russian influence hinder progress.

The report concludes that a credible EU resilience architecture requires stronger political commitment, coherent investment, and closer coordination with ENWB partners. Enlargement and neighbourhood policies should more explicitly link accession progress to resilience building and security reforms.

Key Policy Recommendations

1. Strategic guidelines: Adopt a comprehensive EU Resilience Strategy to coordinate security, defence, and preparedness policies across EU institutions and Member States.
2. Industrial base strengthening: Accelerate the implementation of the European Defence Industrial Strategy and promote cross-border defence innovation and joint procurement mechanisms.
3. Civil–military integration: Expand hybrid threat detection, cyber resilience, and total defence initiatives through whole-of-society participation.
4. Neighbourhood partnerships: Involve Eastern Neighbours and Western Balkan partners in PESCO projects and the European Defence Fund under special arrangements that enhance regional resilience.
5. Strategic communication: Intensify efforts against disinformation and foreign information manipulation through coordinated action with EU neighbours.