European Parliament Committee on Security and Defence

The Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is a standing committee of the European Parliament. It is responsible for parliamentary work on the Common Security and Defence Policy, including military and civilian missions and operations, European defence capabilities, defence-industrial cooperation, military mobility, resilience, hybrid threats and relations with strategic partners such as NATO.

SEDE was established in 2004 as a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. On 18 December 2024, Parliament decided to transform it into a separate standing committee, with the change taking effect in January 2025.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for matters relating to the Common Security and Defence Policy and the development of European security and defence capabilities. It scrutinises the implementation of the Union's security and defence strategies, the conduct of military and civilian missions and the work of relevant EU bodies and agencies.

Its remit includes:

the Common Security and Defence Policy; EU military and civilian missions and operations; defence capabilities, military mobility and joint procurement; the European defence technological and industrial base; implementation of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence; hybrid threats, cyber defence, critical-infrastructure protection and military preparedness; relations with NATO and other strategic partners; the European Defence Agency, the European Union Institute for Security Studies and the European Union Satellite Centre; security and defence aspects of the Union's external-action budget; and parliamentary oversight of security and defence initiatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service.

The committee also examines proposals concerning the European defence industry, support for Ukraine, defence investment, readiness and the implementation of EU security commitments.

History

The body was created in 2004 as the Subcommittee on Security and Defence under the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Its establishment reflected the growing importance of the European Security and Defence Policy, later renamed the Common Security and Defence Policy.

During its period as a subcommittee, SEDE developed into Parliament's principal forum for scrutiny of military and civilian crisis-management missions, defence cooperation, security threats and relations with NATO. Following the deterioration of Europe's security environment after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Parliament decided in December 2024 to elevate SEDE to the status of a standing committee.

The new standing committee held its constitutive meeting in January 2025. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who had chaired the former subcommittee since July 2024, was elected chair of the standing committee.

Parliamentary scrutiny

SEDE holds exchanges of views with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, defence ministers, senior military officials, NATO representatives, EU mission commanders and the heads of EU agencies. It prepares reports and recommendations on defence policy and monitors the implementation of EU missions and operations.

The committee also examines the defence dimensions of EU funding instruments and industrial programmes. These include measures intended to strengthen joint procurement, increase ammunition and equipment production, improve military mobility and reinforce the resilience of European defence supply chains.

Chairs

The following table lists the chairs of SEDE, including the period when it operated as a subcommittee.

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office Karl von Wogau EPP–ED Germany 2004 2009 Arnaud Danjean EPP France 2009 2014 Anna Fotyga ECR Poland 2014 2019 Nathalie Loiseau Renew Europe France 2019 2024 Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann Renew Europe Germany 2024 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The committee currently has 43 full members. Its current composition is shown below, with the chair and vice-chairs indicated in italics.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Christophe Gomart, France, Vice-Chair Riho Terras, Estonia, Vice-Chair Wouter Beke, Belgium Salvatore De Meo, Italy Niclas Herbst, Germany Vangelis Meimarakis, Greece Andrey Novakov, Bulgaria Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Spain Michał Szczerba, Poland Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Sweden Pekka Toveri, Finland Mihai Tudose, Romania, Vice-Chair Tobias Cremer, Germany Elio Di Rupo, Belgium Raphaël Glucksmann, France Javi López, Spain Costas Mavrides, Cyprus Ana Catarina Mendes, Portugal Sven Mikser, Estonia Michał Dworczyk, Poland, Vice-Chair Elena Donazzan, Italy Alberico Gambino, Italy Reinis Pozņaks, Latvia Alexandr Vondra, Czechia Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Germany, Chair Petras Auštrevičius, Lithuania Nathalie Loiseau, France Marjan Šarec, Slovenia Lucia Yar, Slovakia Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Rachel Blom, Netherlands György Hölvényi, Hungary Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová, Czechia Petra Steger, Austria Pierre-Romain Thionnet, France Hannah Neumann, Germany Mārtiņš Staķis, Latvia Reinier van Lanschot, Netherlands Marc Botenga, Belgium Özlem Demirel, Germany Merja Kyllönen, Finland Hans Neuhoff, Germany Non-Inscrits Kostas Papadakis, Greece Michael von der Schulenburg, Germany

Substitute members

The committee's substitute members are listed below.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Michael Gahler, Germany Rasa Juknevičienė, Lithuania Eszter Lakos, Hungary Angelika Niebler, Germany Hélder Sousa Silva, Portugal Matej Tonin, Slovenia Loránt Vincze, Romania Marta Wcisło, Poland Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Luxembourg Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Spain Željana Zovko, Croatia Lucia Annunziata, Italy José Cepeda, Spain Vasile Dîncu, Romania André Franqueira Rodrigues, Portugal Giannis Maniatis, Greece Tonino Picula, Croatia Thijs Reuten, Netherlands Kristian Vigenin, Bulgaria Adam Bielan, Poland Assita Kanko, Belgium Marion Maréchal, France Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Romania Cristian Terheș, Romania Engin Eroglu, Germany Bart Groothuis, Netherlands Christophe Grudler, France Urmas Paet, Estonia Hilde Vautmans, Belgium Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Christophe Bay, France Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Spain Matthieu Valet, France Harald Vilimsky, Austria Ville Niinistö, Finland Terry Reintke, Germany Villy Søvndal, Denmark Giuseppe Antoci, Italy Lynn Boylan, Ireland Marina Mesure, France Roberto Vannacci, Italy Non-Inscrits Ruth Firmenich, Germany Judita Laššáková, Slovakia

Research support

The committee is supported by the European Parliament's research services and the Policy Department for External Relations. These services provide studies, briefings and analyses on the Common Security and Defence Policy, defence capabilities, military mobility, defence industry, cyber defence, hybrid threats, NATO and EU missions and operations.

Research prepared for the committee is published through Parliament's supporting-analyses database and the European Parliament Think Tank.

See also

Common Security and Defence Policy Common Foreign and Security Policy Strategic Compass for Security and Defence European Defence Agency European Union Military Staff European Union Military Committee European Union Institute for Security Studies European Union Satellite Centre NATO European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs

References

External links

Official website Members Supporting analyses European Parliament Think Tank