Security and Defense in the EU: The Readiness 2030 Program and the Future of European Strategic Autonomy

On Thursday, November 20, 2025, Dr. Elena Lazarou, Director General of ELIAMEP, Professor Spyros Blavoukos, Head of the European Programme ‘Arianne Condellis’ and Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP, and Panos Politis Lamprou, Research Fellow, EU Institutions and Policies, at ELIAMEP, participated in an EU Youth Hub event focusing on “Security and Defence in the EU: The Readiness 2030 programme and the future of European strategic autonomy.”

In particular, Dr. Elena Lazarou discussed the EU’s shift from strategic autonomy to strategic responsibility, after initially highlighting the factors that prompted increased EU involvement in security and defence. Professor Spyros Blavoukos emphasised the significance of bilateral and multilateral defence agreements between member states outside the EU institutional framework, proposing some potential scenarios for the future development of European defence cooperation. Mr. Panos Politis Lamprou outlined Greece’s participation in various European defence initiatives, raising important points for discussion regarding the opportunities presented by Greece’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU in 2027.