ABSTRACT
On 12 December 2003 the European Council adopted the European Security Strategy (ESS), sub-titled A Secure Europe in a Better World, the first-ever strategic document addressing EU external action in the broadest sense and therefore key to understanding the Union’s role in security.1 Starting from an analysis of what constitutes the core of the ESS, this chapter will argue that although it represents a milestone, it is not the alpha and omega of European strategic thinking. For it to function as a fully-fledged grand strategy, it needs to be completed and EU strategic thinking needs to be deepened, particularly in the area of security and defence.
