Brussels, 28 January 2025
Member of the European Parliament Željana Zovko will continue her work in the newly established Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE). This committee was originally a subcommittee on security and defence but has now been upgraded to a full-fledged committee due to growing global security challenges. This change in status reflects the increasingly important role that the European Parliament wants to play in the context of the unstable geopolitical environment and rising security threats.
The newly established Committee on Security and Defence will play a key role in parliamentary oversight and in monitoring the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy. It will also continue to play a crucial role in strengthening relations between the EU and security and defence partners such as NATO.
The committee will continue the work started in its previous status, focusing on hybrid warfare, cyber defence, and foreign information manipulation and interference, in order to address the evolving threats posed by malicious actors. One of the first major tasks for the Committee on Security and Defence will be to issue recommendations for the White Paper on Strengthening European Defence, which will be presented by the Commissioner for Defence. This White Paper will address industrial competitiveness in the defence sector, defence capabilities, investment needs, and ways to strengthen the EU’s ability to respond to threats.
“I am glad to continue my work in the SEDE committee to strengthen the European pillar of NATO and build on the results achieved during the previous mandate, particularly regarding the security of Southeastern Europe, the Sahel, and key security and defence challenges we face”, concluded Zovko.
As a reminder, Zovko actively worked on EU and neighbouring security and defence issues during the ninth parliamentary term, advocating strongly for the preservation of security and stability in Southeastern Europe. As a rapporteur, she worked on reports aimed at establishing measures to increase solidarity and capacity within the Union for detecting cybersecurity threats and incidents, preparing for and responding to them, as well as on EU-Africa security cooperation in the Sahel, West Africa, and the Horn of Africa.