Evaluation of Dutch policy on the Common Security and Defence Policy – Beyond pragmatism

In recent years, the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union has gained momentum. This pushed to the fore strategic questions and discussions about the future of the CSDP, to which the Netherlands must formulate answers: What role should the EU play in the field of European security and defence? Where is the added value of the EU, and how does it relate to NATO? What civil and military capabilities are needed for these? The Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has therefore carried out an evaluation of Dutch policy on the CSDP.

The main conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation can be found in the executive summary and on the executive summary page.
The rationale for these conclusions and more specific findings are set out in the individual reports, which are only in Dutch and can be found on the Dutch site.