Author: Clément ITTELET, Jacques Delors Promotion (2024-2025), College of Europe
Executive summary
Launched in November 2022, the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM UA) is the largest non-executive Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military mission ever undertaken by the European Union. It has also been one of the most strategically significant, demonstrating the EU’s capacity to play a decisive role in supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression. Through EUMAM UA, the Union has emerged as a critical security enabler in its neighbourhood, reshaping its role within Europe’s security architecture amid unprecedented geopolitical challenges.
As the war enters its fifth year, however, EUMAM UA — like the EU itself — stands at a crossroads. To remain relevant, the mission must reinvent itself, both to meet Ukraine’s evolving needs and to support longer-term, strategic capacity-development objectives. Such a transformation could position the mission as a cornerstone of a future package of security guarantees for Ukraine, thereby reinforcing the Union’s credibility as a geopolitical player.
Key policy recommendations:
- Rapidly revise EUMAM UA’s mandate to expand the scope of activities, to include reform assistance and capacity-development support, with a view to addressing current needs and strengthening the capabilities and effectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
- Swiftly establish a limited EU military presence in Ukraine by enabling EUMAM UA to operate on Ukrainian territory through the deployment of unarmed military advisers and defence reform experts.
- Prepare plans to enable the rapid relocation of EUMAM UA’s training activities to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, as part of a broader package of security guarantees.
