Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has announced, speaking at a press conference in Cyprus, that a new European security strategy will be presented in the first half of 2026.
According to von der Leyen, the initiative aims to consolidate existing expertise to better reflect changing geostrategic realities and to assess geopolitical developments in order to deliver an appropriate response.
The initiative is not included in the European Commission’s current 2026 work programme. Instead, it appears to be new, as a result to shifting sands around Europe.
She stressed EU and NATO support of Greenland, after increased pressure from Washington on Denmark over Greenland.
The scope outlined closely resembles that of the Strategic Compass, the EU’s security and defence framework adopted in 2022. That blue print which was designed to translate shared threat assessments into concrete political and military action.
The Strategic Compass sets out common objectives across four pillars — crisis management, resilience, capability development, and partnerships — including plans to improve rapid-deployment forces, strengthen defence readiness, protect critical infrastructure, and deepen cooperation with NATO and other allies.
Long story short: von der Leyen is effectively signalling a review and possible expansion of this framework, rather than a complete departure from it. The security environment has evolved faster and more dramatically than anticipated when the Strategic Compass was adopted, particularly due to the war in Ukraine and rising global strategic competition.
