European Commission, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT), 2024.

A study commissioned by the European Commission highlights the significant potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve public sector services across the EU. The report emphasizes that AI can enhance citizen-government interactions, boost analytical capabilities, and increase efficiency in key areas such as healthcare, mobility, e-Government, and education. These sectors are identified as among the most ready for large-scale AI deployment, with applications ranging from autonomous vehicles and smart traffic systems to AI-driven healthcare solutions and education technologies.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Aerospace & defence ecosystem – Robotics and drones, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Robotics, which includes drones, is a dual-use technology with civil and defence applications. Civil applications include industrial robots (the socalled cobots) and service robots in logistics, agriculture, and cleaning services. Exoskeletons (or wearable robotics) are increasingly important in civil healthcare and defence applications. In defence, both manned and unmanned types of robots, including drones are used. Drones are used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. They help the soldiers on the ground and sitting far away to plan their next move.

European Security and Defence College, Annual report 2022-2023, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Publication metadata
In 2023, the ESDC conducted a revamped prioritisation exercise for the academic year 2023-2024, evaluating and prioritising training requirements, as derived from Member States’ input and EU policy orientations. Our obligation is to deliver on the requirements of Member States and the EU, by paying particular attention to more recent key domains, without neglecting those more traditional courses that remain relevant. These areas include hybrid threats, maritime security, space, climate change and foreign information manipulation and interference, and – very importantly – leadership skills for CSDP missions.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union and Ünver, A., Artificial intelligence (AI) and human rights – Using AI as a weapon of repression and its impact on human rights – In-depth analysis, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This in-depth analysis (IDA) explores the most prominent actors, cases and techniques of algorithmic authoritarianism together with the legal, regulatory and diplomatic framework related to AI-based biases as well as deliberate misuses. With the world leaning heavily towards digital transformation, AI’s use in policy, economic and social decision-making has introduced alarming trends in repressive and authoritarian agendas. Such misuse grows ever more relevant to the European Parliament, resonating with its commitment to safeguarding human rights in the context of digital trans-formation.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union and Franke, U., European Parliament, 2021.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a tool of power politics, and an element of state diplomacy. The European Union (EU), however, approaches AI primarily from an economic, social, and regulatory angle. This paper discusses the way that AI impacts the European Union’s geopolitical power and its relationship with other countries. It presents possible scenarios for how AI may change the international balance of power and recommends ways for the EU and its Member States to respond.

European Defence Agency, (27), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

European Defence Agency looks back at its first two decades - and to the future.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Andersen, L., Broeders, D. and Csernatoni, R., Emerging and disruptive digital technologies – National, regional, and global perspectives, Andersen, L.(editor), Broeders, D.(editor) and Csernatoni, R.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This volume is based on papers presented and discussed at the conference Closing the Gap 2023, Emerging and Disruptive Digital Technologies: Regional Perspectives, on 6 and 7 December 2023 at Glazen Zaal in The Hague, the Netherlands. The conference was organised by Leiden University, as part of the EU Cyber Direct project, and brought together authors and representatives from numerous institutions around the world.

European Union Satellite Centre, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The year 2023 presented SatCen with its most significant challenges and achievements to date. Russia’s ongoing war of aggression since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the crisis in Gaza from October onwards, dramatically heightened the need for accurate, reliable and timely geospatial intelligence, underlining SatCen’s status as a key provider of EU situational awareness. In view of these unprecedented demands, the Centre demonstrably strengthened its capabilities and operational tempo, exceeding past records and user expectations.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Jungwirth, R., Smith, H., Willkomm, E., Savolainen, J. et al., Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

Hybrid threats constitute a combination of different types of tools, some expected and known, some unexpected and clandestine, applied to achieve an undeclared strategic objective, and without officially admitting to doing so. The common denominator for hybrid threat actors is their desire to undermine or harm democratically established governments, countries or alliances. By their very nature, hybrid threats constitute a risk to European values, governments, countries and individuals. Their overarching aim is to constrain the freedom of manoeuvre of democracies in order to discredit its model compared to authoritarian regimes or gain other advantages over democracies. The seven case studies presented in this report demonstrate the extent to which hybrid threat activity can undermine and weaken the foundations of a well-functioning democratic ecosystem.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Andersen, L., Broeders, D. and Csernatoni, R., in Emerging and disruptive digital technologies – National, regional, and global perspectives, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, pp. 81-203.

This volume is based on papers presented and discussed at the conference Closing the Gap 2023, Emerging and Disruptive Digital Technologies: Regional Perspectives, on 6 and 7 December 2023 at Glazen Zaal in The Hague, the Netherlands. The conference was organised by Leiden University, as part of the EU Cyber Direct project, and brought together authors and representatives from numerous institutions around the world. The conference was organised by Leiden University, as part of the EU Cyber Direct project, and brought together authors and representatives from numerous institutions around the world. The aim of the conference was to explore the diversity of interpretations regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with various digital emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs), de-centre approaches to their study (which have so far been largely Western or Europe-centric in nature) as well as enrich the state of the art. The chapters in this volume are divided into three sections focusing respectively on ‘national perspectives: policy meets technology’; ‘interstate and diplomatic arenas: navigating critical emerging technologies’; and ‘harnessing quantum technologies nationally and internationally’. In each of the chapters, authors address different geographical locations — be it cities, countries or blocks of countries — in relation to the application or consideration of a range of digital EDTs in different contexts.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Karlos, V. and Larcher, M., Protection against Unmanned Aircraft Systems – Handbook on UAS risk assessment and principles for physical hardening of buildings and sites, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

The purpose of the current handbook is to provide guidance to security and law enforcement oficials, building/site owners, venue organisers, state organisations, engineers and other stakeholders in charge of securing infrastructure and public spaces against the growing international threat posed by the malicious use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones. The focus narrows down into recommendations for a robust and usable approach for the physical hardening of non-military infrastructures and public spaces against this borderless phenomenon. It addresses shortcomings encountered in the design of such security solutions and aims at producing a simple, self-contained guide to help select appropriate measures that are able to mitigate and/or deter potential attacks.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Mölling, C., Hellmonds, S., Csernatoni, R., Oliveira Martins, B. et al., Sovereign, capable, innovative, responsive – Prospects and challenges for EU security and defence policy in the 10th parliamentary term, European Parliament, 2024.

The briefings contained in this volume provide an overview of the challenges ahead in four key areas of EU security and defence policy: defence industrial policy (‘Sovereign: A dynamic defence industrial and technological base’), EU rapid response capabilities (‘Capable: From “paper tigers” to rapid and effective presence on the ground’), technology and innovative in the area of defence (‘Innovative: Keeping the technological edge in the area of security and defence’) and the fight against certain types of hybrid warfare (‘Responsive: Hybrid warfare and the implications of the Wagner model’). Together, they provide an outlook on the major questions that will confront the European Parliament in its 10th legislative term.