(Photo: Shutterstock)
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) today, Thursday, 2 July 2026, publishes its contribution entitled “A European Security Strategy at the service of peace”, as the European Union prepares its new Security Strategy. Download the Contribution
Drawing on the Catholic Church’s social teaching and the European Union’s founding vocation as a project of peace, the document offers reflections on the current debate on European security and defence. It seeks to contribute constructively to the ongoing discussions by promoting a comprehensive understanding of security that remains firmly oriented towards peace, human dignity and the common good.
The contribution puts forward five recommendations for the future European Security Strategy:
- Keep peace as the strategic objective;
- Expand the threat assessment beyond military risks;
- Strengthen conflict prevention and creative peacebuilding;
- Reinforce democratic oversight and ethical accountability;
- Embed the future European Security Strategy within a broader European Peace Strategy.
The reflections contained in the contribution, together with the recommendations addressed to the European institutions, are also the outcome of exchanges and analysis within the COMECE Commission on EU External Relations and reflects the Catholic Church’s ongoing commitment to fostering ethical and forward-looking reflection on the European Union’s external action and its responsibility to promote peace in an increasingly complex and hostile geopolitical environment.
By publishing this contribution, COMECE hopes to offer a timely and constructive input to the ongoing debate on the future of European security and to support policymakers in shaping a strategy that remains faithful to the European Union’s vocation as a project of peace.
In recent years, COMECE has consistently called on the European Union to renew its founding vision with creative fidelity, remaining faithful to its vocation as a project of peace even in times of war and growing international tensions.
In June 2025, COMECE published the reflection paper “The European Union’s role in a changing world: From founding vision to global mission”, prepared by its Commission on EU External Relations. The paper explores the European Union’s global role in an evolving geopolitical landscape.
In October 2026, COMECE will host military bishops and ordinaries from across the European Union to reflect on the ethical dimensions of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy.
