European Parliament: Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Shulla, K. and Leal Filho, W., European Parliament, 2023.

The European Union (EU) has a strong leadership role, globally and regionally, in implementing the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development but as a matter of urgency its ambitions now need to be translated into strategies and actions. Major global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate change, have all effectively reversed progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and further exacerbated interrelated challenges relating to poverty, inequality, carbon emissions, education, health, economic growth and finance. The increasing likelihood of Agenda 2030 objectives not being met within the expected timeframe calls for major transformation in: SDGs’ financing; ecology and green recovery; citizens’ empowerment; political commitment to collective action; as well as cooperation between public, private and non-profit sectors.

Sophie Natalie Chevalier, European University Institute, 2024.

As the global temperature continues to rise, the melting Arctic is triggering significant geopolitical changes across the region. The research investigates the intricate connection between Arctic hydrocarbon development and military expansions, focusing on the roles of Russia, the US, and Norway. It argues that the economic potential of Arctic hydrocarbons motivates states to enhance their military presence, thereby intensifying geopolitical tensions and transforming global energy dynamics and strategic partnerships.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Bangladesh – Country focus – Country of origin information report – July 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information in view of the assessment of international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection. This report intends to capture a selection of the main issues relevant to international protection in the assessment of claims from Bangladeshi nationals. The reference period of this report is 1 January 2022–15 May 2024. Events taking place after the reference period have not been included.

European Commission: Directorate-General for External Relations and United Nations Organisation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The objective of the Compendium is to support programme managers, evaluators, and other experts in reliably measuring and evaluating the results of CT and PCVE interventions. Through this emphasis, the Compendium aims to promote a culture of demonstrating the results of CT and PCVE work across the EU and UN. Ultimately, this focus on measuring results will enhance the implementation of relevant, coherent, effective, efficient, and sustainable CT and PCVE interventions for the benefit of end-recipients in all EU and UN Member States.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Everts, S. and Ekman, A., Contestation – The new dynamic driving global politics, Everts, S.(editor) and Ekman, A.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Contestation dynamics have intensified in recent years, to the point they are now driving global politics. This shift is not only due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resurgence of violent territorial conflicts worldwide, but also to the escalating rivalry between the United States and China. Perhaps most significantly, an informal coalition of countries is actively promoting an anti-Western discourse and challenging established global governance structures and institutions. There is a fierce global battle over norms, votes, investments and much else. This Chaillot Paper explores how European leaders and policymakers should navigate a world where diverse forms of contestation are amplifying and converging. Developing successful strategies for Europe to survive and thrive in a world of contestation will not be easy, or cheap. But it is a task that cannot be avoided: it must be a top priority for the new EU leadership taking office in 2024.

European Research Executive Agency, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The EU was established with the aim to provide common ground, literally and metaphorically, for its members to thrive in a stable and secure environment, being ‘united in diversity.’ The emergence of violent extremism, populism and radicalisation undermines European cohesion, unsettling the Union’s foundations and fostering insecurity among its citizens.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Country guidance – Afghanistan – Common analysis and guidance note – May 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The country guidance documents provide country-specific common analysis and guidance in relation to the assessment criteria established in the recast Qualification Directive (Directive 2011/95/EU). They are developed by the EUAA together with a network of senior-level policy officials from EU+ countries and represent their joint assessment of the situation in main countries of origin, in accordance with current EU legislation and jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The European Commission and UNHCR provided valuable input in this process. The aim of the country guidance documents is to assist decision-makers and policy-makers in their daily work and to foster convergence in the assessment of applications for international protection and the type of protection granted in the context of the Common European Asylum System.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Country guidance – Syria – Common analysis and guidance note – April 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The guidance note on Syria is produced by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) together with EU+ countries (3) in accordance with Article 11 of the EUAA Regulation. (4) It is based on and summarises the conclusions of a comprehensive common analysis. The aim of the guidance note and the common analysis is to assist EU+ countries in the examination of applications for international protection. The guidance note and the common analysis are a pivotal tool in the roadmap to greater convergence in the Common European Asylum System.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Andersson, J., Delivering together – Targeted partnerships for a secure world, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The European Union has always sought partners to uphold the rules-based multilateral order. But current challenges to our common security require increased efforts, new forms of cooperation and targeted partnerships that deliver concrete results. The engagement of the EU’s closest security and defence partners could be further enhanced through a so-called ‘Partnership Plus’ format. Issue-specific cooperation on pressing common security issues such as crisis management, protecting global communications and trade routes, and security of supply should be encouraged. By forging targeted partnerships in these key areas, the EU and its partners can strengthen their collective capacity to contribute significantly to peace and security.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, Ecosystems of hate speech online in the EU related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Understanding the spread and impact of hate speech across different platforms and accounts is a powerful tool holding platforms accountable, informing policy interventions, and safeguarding civil discourse.

European University Institute and Nyankalwa, M., Enhancing governance in the democratic security sector and reforms in Malawi, European University Institute, 2024.

Despite substantial global advances in democratic security governance and reforms in the past few decades, Malawi continues to lag significantly behind in achieving genuine democratic security governance and comprehensive reforms. This shortfall is attributable to a weak institutional framework and an absence of civilian control and oversight, which undermines accountability and transparency. Pervasive corruption and political interference pose significant threats to the independence and effectiveness of the security sector. Notably, recurrent misuse by politicians of the state security apparatus, including the intelligence service, the Malawi Police Service and paramilitary units, remains a critical concern.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre and Kancs, d., Enhancing the preparedness and readiness – Towards an EU preparedness strategy, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The paper studies Europe's preparedness and readiness in the context of evolving multi-dimensional security challenges. Leveraging the newly augmented strategic readiness framework, we examine three selected strategic readiness dimensions – mobilisation, force structure and resilience – in Europe. To assess the impact of possible future systemic shocks on the mobilisation readiness, agility of the force and long-term resilience readiness across threat and time horizons, we develop stress test scenarios aligned with the Strategic Foresight Analysis 2023 and Future Operating Environment 2024 and simulate preparedness and readiness using a decision impact model. Stress-testing mobilisation readiness, force agility readiness and long-term resilience readiness in scenarios of systemic shocks reveals that all three dimension of the strategic readiness in Europe have an untapped potential that still needs to be unlocked. Based on our findings, we identify avenues for improvement, best practices as well as derive recommendations for strategic decision makers.

European University Institute, Andrew Geddes, A. and Sergio Carrera, S., European University Institute, 2021.

In September 2020, the European Commission published what it described as a New Pact on Migration and Asylum (emphasis added) that lays down a multi-annual policy agenda on issues that have been central to debate about the future of European integration. This book critically examines the new Pact as part of a Forum organized by the Horizon 2020 project ASILE – Global Asylum Governance and the EU’s Role. ASILE studies interactions between emerging international protection systems and the United Nations Global Compact for Refugees (UN GCR), with particular focus on the European Union’s role and the UN GCR’s implementation dynamics. It brings together a new international network of scholars from 13 institutions examining the characteristics of international and country specific asylum governance instruments and arrangements applicable to people seeking international protection.

Antoni Sastre Bel, European University Institute, 2024.

Since 2007, the EU has been investing heavily in advancing peace and security in the African continent, by supporting the African peace and security architecture institutions. Until now most of this support has been concentrated in crisis management and defence capacity building. Nevertheless this approach hasn’t delivered the effects it intended. As a consequence, other conflict prevention and resolution instruments that could be more cost-efficient and less coercive, such as peace mediation, have been under-exploited.

Briefing, European Parliament, 2024.

The EU has constantly affirmed its support for multilateralism, and in particular for the United Nations (UN), with which it shares core values. Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union puts respect for the principles of the UN Charter among the guiding principles of EU action on the international scene. The EU and its Member States contribute one third to the total UN budget. Although the EU's status within the UN system varies (from full member to simple observer), the EU is the regional organisation having gained the strongest voice in the UN. The EU supports the reform agenda initiated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The European Parliament is a strong supporter of rules-based multilateralism. It follows the EU's activity in the UN closely, and regularly adopts recommendations to the Council of the EU on the priorities to be pursued by the EU at the UN General Assembly, and at major multilateral conferences such as the UN climate change conference.

In-Depth Analysis, European Parliament, 2022.

Over the years, the EU has become a key player in the United Nations system. The UN remains an organisation of sovereign states, and this is reflected in the functioning of its bodies, agencies and programmes. The EU enjoys observer status in many of these and is the only international organisation to have secured enhanced observer status in the UN General Assembly. The EU leverages its influence through its significant financial contribution to the UN system, through its enhanced partnerships with various entities within the UN system, and through close coordination with its Member States on positions to be defended in the organisation.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, EU solidarity with Ukraine, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The EU stands united in its unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression and its illegal attempts to annex Ukrainian territory. The EU continues to work relentlessly with international partners to make sure Ukraine receives the material support it needs and to hold Russia accountable for its actions. The EU has also offered temporary protection to over four million people fleeing the war and is committed to continue providing strong political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. The EU opened accession negotiations with Ukraine.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, EU support to Palestinians, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks by Hamas across Israel on 7 October 2023, and the consequent military operation by Israel after, have led to a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Gravely concerned by this, the EU has reaffirmed the urgency of full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need and of allowing and facilitating humanitarian workers and international organisations to operate effectively inside Gaza.

European Commission: Directorate-General for International Partnerships and Moriniere, L., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established by the 2030 Agenda and adopted in 2015 at a special United Nations (UN) Summit. Building on learning from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the SDGs represent one of the world’s only actionable frameworks shared by all UN Member States. Actively involved in SDG negotiations and striving to integrate them into external action and development policies, the European Union (EU) commissioned this global strategic evaluation to examine the breadth, depth, and consistency of their SDG contribution. This evaluation focused on the period from 2016 to 2021 to examine the contributions above all made by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). The evaluation questions were organised to assess the extent to which EU-established processes and tools have supported SDG contributions, the role of partnerships and coordination in enhancing SDGs, the mainstreaming of SDGs throughout EU practice and thinking, and the overall contribution of EU external actions to SDG achievement.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Ditrych, O., Four swans of the Black Sea – Security scenarios for a contested region, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The EU needs to invest more in safeguarding the Black Sea region. Its forthcoming Black Sea strategy must therefore have a strong security component. The Union’s responses to Russia’s aggressive behaviour will be crucial in shaping the region’s future security. Four potential scenarios may be envisaged for the next decade: ‘Lake Interregnum’, ‘European Lake’, ‘Russian Lake’ and ‘Frozen Lake’. To enhance regional security, the EU should continue to show strong support to Ukraine and deny further Russian advances. It needs to bolster situational awareness and early action capabilities, build resilience against hybrid threats, and step-up efforts to protect critical maritime infrastructure including through a potential CSDP operation or a strengthened Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP). Swift progress in the EU’s enlargement process is essential.

Rosalie Marie Caroline Klein, European University Institute, 2024.

This thesis investigates the role of the European Union in the South China Sea to understand how it can strategically leverage its capabilities to enhance regional maritime security. Through a combination of semi-structured interviews and a thorough analysis of primary and secondary sources, this thesis seeks to uncover actionable insights for a more effective EU engagement. The findings reveal several key strands of analysis, focusing on military, normative, and assistance capabilities.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Andersson, J., Into the breach! – EU military CSDP missions and operations, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

20 years after the first EU military CSDP operations in 2003 and in preparation for the Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) in 2025, this Brief presents three alternatives for what future EU military missions and operations could look like. The first alternative extrapolates the strong support among EU Member States for missions and operations in and around Europe. The second focuses on protecting the global commons and specifically the maritime dimension. The third alternative places the RDC at the core with missions and operations around the world. Russia’s war against Ukraine makes the ‘Europe first’ alternative the most likely and preferred option. But the EU’s reliance on seaborne trade means that it should also take on more responsibility for defending the global commons at sea.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Iraq security situation – Country of origin information report – May 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information for the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in updating EUAA’s country guidance document on Iraq. In order to support the assessment of the application of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive on the existence of a serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict, the security situation report examines the type of armed conflicts taking place in the territory, the nature of the violence and presence of armed actors in different areas, and the impact on civilians, for example in terms of casualties/fatalities and conflict-linked displacement. The report covers the period February 2023 – March 2024, and provides an update of the EUAA COI report: Iraq Security situation (January 2022).

European University Institute and Sakaki, A., Japan – A critical player in Southeast Asia, European University Institute, 2024.

Japan plays a critical yet often overlooked role in the geopolitical dynamics of Southeast Asia – an important region at the centre of the Indo-Pacific where US-China rivalry has intensified over the past decade. Having overcome antagonisms related to its pre-1945 wartime and colonial history in Southeast Asia, Japan has built comprehensive and deep relations with the region’s countries. While Tokyo has long treated Southeast Asia as a foreign policy priority, it has since around 2012 doubled down on its engagement efforts due to concern about China’s expanding influence in the region. This policy brief argues that Japan’s approach during this time has been characterised by four interconnected tenets, which point to the country’s central role in regional dynamics.

European University Institute and Akita, H., European University Institute, 2024.

This paper analyses the risk of a Third World War. Although conflicts are taking place in many parts of the world, many people may not feel there is much of a threat. However, if one observes reality dispassionately, the view that the risk of a Third World War is looming is not necessarily unrealistic. First, let us look back at the history of the great wars mainly in Europe since the end of the 18th century: the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the First World War and the Second World War. The longest interwar period was 43 years between the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War, this is followed by 39 years between the Napoleon War and the Crimean War.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Lazarou, E., Bassot, E. and Stanicek, B., Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide – Normandy index 2024, Bassot, E.(editor), European Parliament, 2024.

Conflict is rarely confined to the geographical space in which wars take place. The increasingly global effects – human, material and political – of wars and conflicts make a view of the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world more important than ever. The 'Normandy Index' has presented an annual measurement of these threats since the 2019 Normandy Peace Forum. The results of the 2024 exercise suggest the level of threats to peace is the highest since the Index began, confirming declining trends in global security resulting from conflict, geopolitical rivalry, growing militarisation and hybrid threats.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Andersson, J. and Simon, S., Minding the drone gap – Drone warfare and the EU, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

As the EU Member States ramp up arms production in support of Ukraine and for their own defence, the proliferation of armed drones and countermeasures is a growing concern. This poses important questions for the future of warfare and the European defence industry. The impact of drones varies significantly however depending on their type, highlighting the need for a clear definition of the term. Furthermore, the effectiveness of countermeasures significantly influences the extent to which drones can impact military operations and civilian infrastructure. The EU can support Ukraine's drone warfare efforts and build its own drone and counter-drone capabilities by leveraging the Union’s strengths: a strong and innovative industrial base, close cooperation with Ukraine, and a burgeoning EU defence industry policy.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Kovalčíková, N., Minds and machines – Foreign interference in the digital space, Kovalčíková, N.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This Chaillot Paper delves into the phenomenon of foreign interference and the risk it poses to democratic societies. It explores the interplay between information manipulation and disruptive cyber operations, revealing their role as complementary components within a broader strategy. Dedicated chapters examine how interference manifests across various sectors, including social, political, economic, digital and security domains, describing existing tools and evolving policy frameworks. Each case study follows a clear structure, presenting an incident, its effects and the implemented responses. The volume concludes by identifying convergences and divergences across the cases studied, and highlights foreign interference as a critical and growing threat to transnational security. It offers targeted recommendations on how the EU can significantly bolster its defences and resilience against this threat.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Nigeria – Country focus – Country of origin information report – July 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant contextual information in view of the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection. The report provides an overview of the situation in Nigeria in the period 1 January 2023 – 31 March 2024, focusing on security issues and selected profiles relevant for international protection. The report builds upon the preceding EASO COI report Nigeria Security Situation – June 2021. 1 Events taking place after the end of the reference period have not been included.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Lazarou, E. and Pichon, E., European Parliament, 2023.

Russia's war on Ukraine has caused the European Union (EU) to intensify its work for peace and security. The Peace and Security Outlook, produced by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), seeks to analyse and explain the European Union's contribution to the promotion and restoration of peace and security internationally, through its various external policies. This study provides an overview of the issues and current state of play. It looks first at the concept of peace and the changing nature of the geopolitical environment, as European security faces the most tangible military threat since the end of the Cold War. Linking the study to the Normandy Index, which measures threats to peace and democracy worldwide based on the EU Global Strategy, each chapter of the study analyses a specific threat to peace, and presents an overview of EU action to counter the related risks.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Jansen, T. and Madatali, A., European Parliament, 2023.

This paper presents a regional evaluation in parallel to the EPRS 2023 Peace and Security Outlook. It has been drafted as a contribution to the Normandy World Peace Forum taking place in September 2023. The paper provides the background to EU relations with Iraq. After providing a brief overview of the country's current political, economic and social situation, the analysis provides an inventory of the tools and mechanisms and funding put in place by the EU, looks at recent developments and corresponding EU external policy. It also provides an overview of European Parliament resolutions, and Council conclusions since the 2012 EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, as well as a selection of the opinions found in recent research on EU-Iraq relations.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Teer, J., Preventing war in East Asia – A European action plan to strengthen deterrence, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Over the last half century East Asia has become the global economy’s manufacturing hub. Powerful trends have made a military conflict in East Asia, especially over Taiwan, more likely since 2016. The most important of these are China’s rapid military modernisation and increasing number of hostile acts under the threshold of war. To Beijing’s growing frustration, these have not improved the prospects for peaceful “reunification” with the island republic. Use of greater force, namely a maritime blockade or an invasion of Taiwan, would have a severe impact on the EU’s prosperity and security.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Ditrych, O. and Ekman, A., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

China-Russia joint military exercises should be taken seriously, considering their frequency, complexity and global reach. Some are designed for communication and political messaging, signalling displeasure with the US military presence in various regions and defence cooperation among Western allies. Others are more complex and challenging, and feature intricate war games. It is likely that China and Russia will continue to conduct such exercises, jointly but also increasingly with third countries, as part as their reinforced defence cooperation and joint endeavour to build an anti-Western coalition. The EU should vigilantly monitor these exercises, and pay close attention to the locations, exact nature and objectives of the drills in order to improve strategic foresight capacities related to China and Russia’s activities in contested regions.

European Union Institute for Security Studies and Marangio, R., Shifting tides – International engagement in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Horn of Africa is attracting heightened interest from the United States, Türkiye, European and Gulf countries. This is reflected in the growing number of military bases, economic investments, infrastructure projects and maritime security initiatives in the region. Political relations fluctuate between cooperation and competition. The region’s strategic significance stems from its location near the Red Sea, a vital artery for global maritime trade. Some countries, especially in the Gulf, view the Horn as an extension of their security perimeter, while others see it as a battleground for regional rivalries, particularly between Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as between Gulf states and Iran. Faced with this increasingly crowded arena, the EU has to decide how to navigate this complex interplay of international, regional and national interests. Three potential postures emerge: damage control, competition for influence or a quest for cooperation.

Victor Pieter Andries Vogelsang, European University Institute, 2024.

While conflicts continue, it has become increasingly difficult for humanitarians to create and defend the space in which to operate. Lacking alternatives to hard power, humanitarians must create the space via other tools, such as negotiations. This paper has analyzed how the ICRC and MSF approach these negotiations to better understand what approaches are successful and what challenges they face.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Sources on asylum 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This document presents the sources used for the production of the Asylum Report 2024. Sources are grouped by type, for example material produced by European institutions and agencies, international organisations, national authorities, civil society organisations, think tanks and academia. A list of legislation referenced in the report is also provided, as well as an overview of case law based on the EUAA Case Law Database. Over 1,300 sources were reviewed for the 2024 edition of the Asylum Report.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Kovalčíková, N., De Agostini, L. and Catena, B., Strengthening resilience in the East – How the EU can empower countries against foreign interference, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) challenges EU strategic interests in the Eastern Neighbourhood, impacting not just communication and democratic processes but also partner countries’ security. In the ‘Eastern trio’ of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, FIMI risks have escalated, threatening both candidate countries and the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The EU should consider adapting its CSDP to address these rising threats, as highlighted in the new Civilian Compact, and prioritise integrating FIMI countermeasures into the core of its CSDP efforts, especially in regions of strategic interest. EUPM Moldova demonstrates how CSDP can strengthen resilience across multiple domains. The mission could serve as a blueprint for designing more flexible CSDP missions to respond to this challenge.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Sudan – Country focus – Security situation in selected areas and selectedprofiles affected by the conflict – April 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant contextual information in view of the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection. The report provides an overview of the situation in Sudan, in the period 15 April 2023 – 31 January 2024, focusing on security issues and selected profiles relevant for international protection, that have been impacted by the conflict. Starting from the outbreak of the hostilities in April 2023, the report focuses first on the disruptive impact on the communication and media situation in the country throughout the reporting period.

Sami James Harju, European University Institute, 2024.

The following attempts to determine the extent to which formulating a rational endgame in Ukraine might benefit from the presented conceptual framing of a sufficiently just peace. While Ukraine must be supported in dictating the terms of its own future in the face of malevolence, the current trajectory of the conflict forbodes no good outcome for anyone. The gulf between the generally held maximal conception of an ideal justice and any pragmatic outlook of peace presents a dangerously incompatible normative contrast.

European Union Agency for Asylum, Syria, security situation – Country of origin information report – October 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information for the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in updating EUAA’s country guidance document on Syria. In order to support the assessment of the application of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive on a serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict, the security situation report examines the nature of armed conflicts taking place in the territory, the nature of the violence and presence of armed actors in different areas, and the impact on civilians, for example in terms of casualties/fatalities and conflict-linked displacement. The report covers the period of September 2023 – August 2024, and provides an update of previous EUAA COI reports documenting the security situation in Syria, particularly: Syria - Security situation (October 2023).

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Ghanem, D., Ditrych, O., Akpinar, P. et al., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Türkiye’s footprint in various regions of the world has expanded. This is evident not only in economic terms but also in the country’s projection of its soft power, reflected in a myriad of educational and outreach initiatives. It furthermore has a rising profile as a regional weapons supplier, particularly of armed drones. Under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara is clearly pursuing an ambitious vision in the diplomatic, economic and military spheres.