On September 7-8, 2026, the seminar “The EU as a Security and Defence Actor” was held for civil servants of Ukraine’s central executive authorities.

The seminar was organised within the framework of the Luxembourg Technical Assistance Programme for Ukraine “Supporting Legal and Institutional Reforms required by Candidate Country Status”, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

The training was delivered by experts from the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) – Sabina Lange, an expert in EU governance, decision-making, interinstitutional relations and the EU’s external action, and Wolfgang Koeth, Senior Expert at EIPA.

Over the course of two days, participants examined the development of the European Union as a security and defence actor, as well as the evolution of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

Particular attention was paid to the institutional and legal framework of the CFSP and CSDP, the roles of key EU institutions, and the instruments of the Union’s foreign and security policy, including sanctions. Participants also discussed EU operations and missions conducted under the CSDP.

The second day focused on the emerging defence dimension of the European Union, including the mutual defence clause of the Treaty on European Union and its relationship with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The programme also covered EU–NATO cooperation, current EU defence initiatives, the Strategic Compass, Readiness 2030 and the White Paper on European Defence.A separate session addressed the concept of EU strategic autonomy and Ukraine’s potential contribution to strengthening European security and defence capabilities.