Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) is among the European Union’s youngest areas of competence. Although it has seen numerous successes since it obtained its legal status in the Treaty of Nice fifteen years ago, such as the Operation Artemis in Congo, the lack of political will significantly undermines the potential of this policy to ensure that the Union has adequate security facilities when faced with various crises. Especially in recent years, the situation has called for an enhanced cooperation between Member States in the areas of security and defense. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the civil war in Syria, the threat of the Islamic state in the Middle East or the escalation in Israeli-Palestinian relations – these and other problems suggest that Europe is literally surrounded by war. Conflicts of this kind combined with poor environmental conditions in African countries also contribute to significant migratory pressures that Europe is faced with today and most likely also in the future. [...]