Has the EU Truly Become a Security Provider? Institutional Progress and Political Limits in European Defence

This working paper examines whether the European Union (EU) can plausibly be understood as a security provider after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the adoption of the Strategic Compass in 2022. It argues that the EU has made significant institutional advances in security and defence, including expanded coordination, capability initiatives, and financial support instruments. At the same time, persistent capability shortfalls, fragmented defence procurement, and enduring political divisions among the member states continue to constrain the Union’s capacity for credible and sustained action. The paper therefore contends that the EU is best understood as a conditional security provider: an actor that has strengthened its role through the Strategic Compass, the Common Security and Defence Policy, and instruments such as the European Peace Facility, but remains limited by material weaknesses, intergovernmental politics, and continued reliance on the transatlantic security architecture. The EU’s post-2022 trajectory thus reflects substantial progress in European defence, but not a complete transformation into a fully autonomous strategic actor.