Third Country Participation in EU Defence Integration Initiatives

On Wednesday 28th October, EU member states finally agreed on the conditions to allow third countries to participate in joint defence projects. In this context, the GLOBSEC Policy Institute is pleased to launch a new report on Third country participation in EU defence integration: How it works and how it is viewed by EU member states?

The paper, the first in a series, aims to provide an overview of current modes of participation of third countries in EU defence integration initiatives, outline advantages and disadvantages of such inclusion, and map out the attitudes of different countries towards the participation of third countries. The subsequent papers in this series will further assess different attitudes, examine the case of Norway and how the country can optimally participate in EU defence integration processes, and provide ideas on potential ways to structure cooperation with third countries. The mapping of attitudes towards EU defence integration, the assessment of the direction of European defence integration and perceptions of advantages and disadvantages presented in this paper are based on interviews conducted in spring-summer 2020 and authors’ own research

The report is a result of the research project “Enhanced European Opportunity Partners in the EU’s Defence and Security Initiatives: Study case of Norway”, which is funded by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence.

Read the full report below.