BRIEF Strategic Partners at Europe’s Edge: Harnessing the Western Balkans for EU Defence Readiness Europe’s push for strategic autonomy and defence readiness The European Union has progressively framed security and defence as core to its ability to act strategically. The 2016 EU Global Strategy introduced the aim of achieving“an appropriate level of strategic autonomy,” and the 2022 Strategic Compass translated that aspiration into concrete goals. In shorthand, the Compass asks the Union to:(i) act rapidly and robustly in crises, alone if necessary, with allies if possible;(ii) anticipate threats and secure access to key domains;(iii) invest more and better in capabilities and innovation while reducing dependencies; and(iv) deepen cooperation with partners. This agenda reflects a recognition that Europe’s security environment has deteriorated and that the EU must be able to shoulder more responsibility for its own defence. Yet the EU’s defence posture continues to be constrained by long‑standing structural issues. Fragmented national markets limit scale and coordination; industrial capacity remains insufficient relative to demand; supply chains are vulnerable; interoperability and rapid deployment are uneven; and intelligence sharing lacks the cohesion required for joint decision‑making. Strategic Compass: Key Actions for the EU 1. Act rapidly and robustly in crises, alone if necessary, with allies if possible. 2. Anticipate threats and secure access to key domains. 3. Invest more and better in capabilities and innovation, while reducing dependencies. 4. Deepen cooperation with partners. A potential US retrenchment would further affect the credibility of extended deterrence. Europeans therefore face a near‑term imperative to deliver concrete capability gains and to harden logistics and sustainment. These constraints reduce the Union’s agility just as the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical turbulence raise the bar for readiness. Strategic Partners at Europe’s Edge: Harnessing the Western Balkans for EU Defence Readiness 1