Members of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday in favour of the creation of a Standing Committee on Defence and Security.
The assembly already had a sub-committee on security and defence (SEDE) within its Foreign Affairs Committee. It will now become a full committee with the aim of giving European defence "the importance it deserves," explained Euro-parliamentarian Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who chairs the sub-committee.
The European Parliament must play a central role in redefining Europe's defence capability, after "decades of under-investment" in this area, she stressed.
The new committee aims to respond to a sense of urgency brought about by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union can no longer rely exclusively on the United States for its security, Ms Zimmermann insisted, just a few weeks before Donald Trump's inauguration.
The European Parliament is also making another sub-committee permanent, namely the group dedicated to public health, previously housed within the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
In addition, the assembly is creating two new special committees on the themes of ‘European democracy shield’ and ‘Housing crisis in the EU,’ each for a 12-month term.
The composition of the two standing committees and the two special committees, which should reflect the composition of the Parliament, will be announced at a plenary session to be held from 20 to 23 January 2025.
