Security and Defence Subcommittee (SEDE) - European Parliament

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Ministers are outlining the priorities of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU to parliamentary committees, in a series of meetings.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs
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Subcommittee on Human Rights
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence will discuss major European defence issues with French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, on 2 July. The recent initiatives launched by the European Union and the French President's proposals will also be discussed.
Meeting agenda and documents
Livestream
EU Fact Sheets: Security and defence
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the European defence industry on 25 June, with Internal Market Commissioner Breton. The debate will focus on ways of improving Europe's resilience and develop credible defence capabilities that would allow Europe to tackle similar situations in the future. The question of adequate financial support needed to achieve a genuine Defence Union, and improve the EU's strategic autonomy, will also be addressed.
Meeting agenda and documents
Live streaming
EU Fact Sheets: Security and defence
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

In the context of the exponential growth of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the President of the European Parliament has announced a number of measures to contain the spread of epidemic and to safeguard Parliament's core activities.

On 2 April, the Conference of Presidents updated the EP's calendar of activities.

The current precautionary measures adopted by the EP to contain the spread of COVID-19 do not affect work on legislative priorities. Core activities are reduced, but maintained to ensure that the institution's legislative, budgetary, scrutiny functions are maintained.

Following these decisions, the next SEDE Subcommittee meeting is scheduled to take place on 26 May 2020 (online).

Recent press releases:

- EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell in Security and Defence Subcommittee - 26 May 2020
- COVID-19: Impact on the EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations - 27 April 2020

...

New EP calendar 2020
SEDE meetings' calendar 2020
Press release: EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell in Security and Defence Subcommittee - 26 May 2020
Press release: COVID-19: Impact on the EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations - 27 April 2020
Press release: MEPs debate rules on exports of military technology and equipment - 27 April 2020
Press release: MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
Press release: Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
Press release: Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
Press release: Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
Press release: AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
Press release: Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
Press release: MEPs call for sanctions against Turkey over military operation in Syria - 24 October 2019
Press release: NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London: “Unilateral military operation in north east Syria is a security risk to us all” - 15 October 2019
Press release: Russian actions prompt NATO and EU to improve military mobility in Europe - 8 October 2019
Press release: End of INF Treaty: Is arms control out of fashion? - 26 September 2019
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Security and Defence Subcommittee will hold a debate with High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell Fontelles, on 26 May. The discussion will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on security and defence, including on CSDP missions and operations. The use of military means to support the fight against the pandemic, and the EU response to cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns will also be looked into.
Meeting agenda and documents
Live streaming
EU Fact Sheets: Security and defence
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The EU’s annual report on arms export control presently lags behind the national reports of many countries. The introduction of a searchable online database will be a substantial step in increasing the user-friendliness of the report. This paper makes recommendations with regard to readability, comprehensiveness and comparability. Perhaps the principal recommendation is that steps be taken to harmonise the data provided under the categories ‘licensed value’ and ‘actual exports’, which are presently not consistently interpreted across the EU. The main argument of this paper is that the EU should move towards using data visualisation to complement the lengthy statistical tables in the annual report and thus make it more readable. The EU and its Member States should also explore opportunities to enhance the data contained in the report to include additional identified data fields, narrative sections to complement the statistical data, and disaggregated data on licence denials. In identifying additional data fields that could be included, the paper also examines the challenges associated with the provision of the data in each case.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence will discuss the Foreign Affairs Committee's draft report on EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa, on 27 April. The Foreign Affairs Committee's draft motion for resolution on the implementation of the common position regarding arms export will also be looked into.
Meeting agenda and documents
Live streaming
EU Fact Sheets: External relations policy
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On 20 April, the Committee onf Foreign Affairs in association with the sub-committees on human rights (DROI) and security and defence (SEDE) will discuss with the Vice-President of the European Commission/ High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for foreign affairs and geopolitical situation.

The discussion will follow the Joint Communication on the Global EU response to COVID-19 focusing on the EU role in combating the coronavirus crises on the international scene. It will address the measures and actions taken by the EU and its Member States in third countries, and particularly the countries in the EU's immediate neighbourhood. The discussion will also focus on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020- 2024 due to be adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council.
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 18 March 2020 from 9:00 - 12:30 and from 14:30 - 18:30 and on Thursday 19 March 2020 from 9:00 - 12:30 in Brussels (room SPINELLI 1G3).

Please also consult the SEDE meetings' calendar 2020 below.

Recent press releases:

- MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
- Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
- Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
- Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
- AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
- Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
...

SEDE meetings' calendar 2020
Press release: MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
Press release: Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
Press release: Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
Press release: Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
Press release: AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
Press release: Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
Press release: MEPs call for sanctions against Turkey over military operation in Syria - 24 October 2019
Press release: NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London: “Unilateral military operation in north east Syria is a security risk to us all” - 15 October 2019
Press release: Russian actions prompt NATO and EU to improve military mobility in Europe - 8 October 2019
Press release: End of INF Treaty: Is arms control out of fashion? - 26 September 2019
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

SEDE organised a public hearing on 'The future of nuclear arms control regimes and the security implications for the EU' on Tuesday 18 February 2020 from 09.00 to 10.30hrs in room SPINELLI 1G3, with external experts.
Programme
Poster
Presentation by Dr Rebecca E. JOHNSON, Executive Director, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy and founding President of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN, 2017 Nobel Peace Laureate), UK
Written presentation by Dr Rebecca E. JOHNSON, Executive Director, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy and founding President of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN, 2017 Nobel Peace Laureate), UK
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP