Despite repeated efforts, much-needed improvements to increase the strategic impact of the European Union’s (EU) Civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (civilian CSDP) have failed to materialize. Simultaneously, the formulation of strategic guidance in Brussels has stalled. This state of affairs risks civilian CSDP’s credibility and legitimacy in addressing the EU’s foreign policy priorities and security challenges.

Against this backdrop, this research policy paper provides decision makers with seven questions for discussion. These questions touch upon civilian CSDP’s future as a crisis management tool, its functional and geographical prioritization, the breadth of mission mandates, host country relations and other aspects that have remained largely unresolved following two civilian CSDP compacts. To maintain civilian CSDP’s strategic relevance and prepare the instrument for the future, member states need to agree on answers to these questions.

To effectively tackle the proposed agenda, future debate needs to take place at a politico-strategic level and avoid becoming fragmented across different policy forums. In addition, discussions surrounding the instrument’s development should expand beyond technicalities and consider it as one of many foreign policy tools available to the EU in its deteriorated security environment and under the current geopolitical circumstances.