The EU seeks to affirm itself as a major actor within the realm of international relations, trying to
promote key democratic values throughout its network of diplomatic missions. Thus, EU’s foreign and
internal policies are constructed as to commonly represent member states in global issues as a well-defined
political entity of its own. It is through these lenses that we can observe the ways in which EU’s efforts, to
remain a major global actor, are diminished because the entity lacks the force (self-reliant army) through
which it could efficiently represent its military interests. The only military might, at EU’s disposal, being
member state’s own troops, which can be deployed in emergency-related situations through the common
security policy. As such, there are some foreign and defence ministers from the community block which are
demanding, after the Afghanistan chaotic developments, an increased military independence for both the
EU and its intervention forces. On a similar tone, Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the
Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, believes that it is the right time for EU to form its own
military corps. Furthermore, overseeing the emerging security contexts, to which NATO responded by
engaging into an ample transformation and adaptation process, we can underline some key developments,
which showcase the need to revaluate EU’s military efforts, especially in terms of using its capabilities and
capacities as a primordial source of credibility. As citizens’ security remains one of Brussels’ main
objectives, and one of the primordial European institutions’ responsibilities, they have put forward and
accepted, almost two decades ago, the European Security Strategy, which has established, for the first time,
tangible goals, and objectives when it comes to protecting EU’s interests in terms of security and defence. It
is this document which transforms the current approach across the continent, and its analysis can prove a
starting ground for punctual optimizations to take place, to gain resilience in the face of alternative or
emerging threats and risks.