The drafting of the European Union (EU) Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy is a unique opportunity for the EU to reposition itself as a global leader. Against the background of multiple crises within and outside the EU, the strategy will have to carefully balance considerations of security threats with global sustainable development challenges.

Amid the consultation on the EU Global Strategy, this European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) briefing points out the challenges and opportunities in aligning actors in Brussels and in Member States behind a strategy that guides not only the EU’s security policy, but also wider EU foreign policy and external action.