SIEPS har publicerat en ny studie författad av ledamoten Katarina Engberg.

Security and defence are high on the EU’s agenda for the new political cycle. Katarina Engberg analyses the initiatives within the EU that point towards a total defence as well as the challenges and opportunities this brings. (2025:1epa)

Wars are not only fought on the frontlines. This is evident in Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s aggression, which requires not only military action but also the constant reconstruction of civilian structures attacked by the enemy. Defence is thus not only a matter for the military, but for the whole of society. In Sweden and Finland, this insight has led to the establishment of a total defence –a defence that includes all actors in society.

In this analysis, Katarina Engberg, Senior Advisor at SIEPS, examines the emerging building blocks of a European Total Defence Union. The European Commission aims to create both a European Defence Union and a Preparedness Union, and coordinating these initiatives is both complex and necessary. This is also emphasised in the report on European security commissioned by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and published in October 2024. The analysis includes a review of the main features of the Niinistö report.

https://sieps.se/en/publications/2025/towards-a-european-total-defence-union/