The publication develops one of the key themes discussed at the meeting in Cyprus: how the European Union should respond to increasingly complex hybrid threats, including disinformation, cyberattacks, sabotage, economic coercion, interference in democratic processes, and the exploitation of technological, infrastructural and financial dependencies.

The author argues that the EU’s challenge today lies not only in the lack of appropriate instruments, but above all in their fragmentation and the Union’s limited capacity for coordinated action. The EU already has sanctions, regulatory, diplomatic and operational mechanisms at its disposal, yet these often operate in separate policy areas.
To address this gap, the policy paper proposes the creation of a Comprehensive Accountability Toolbox — an integrated mechanism bringing together attribution, sanctions, legal and regulatory measures, restrictions on market access, controls on financial flows, resilience support, and assistance for states and institutions affected by hybrid activities.

The paper also emphasises that Europe’s security architecture cannot be confined to public administration, the military, intelligence services or the defence sector alone. Critical infrastructure operators, financial institutions, local authorities, the media, civil society organisations, fact-checkers, digital rights groups and communities particularly vulnerable to disinformation and destabilisation campaigns all play an important role in identifying and mitigating threats. These actors are often the first to detect the early warning signs of hybrid operations.

The European Union Security Initiative is a joint project of Łukasiewicz – ITECH and the European University Institute in Florence, organised in cooperation with local partners. For the Nicosia meeting, the partner organisation was Oxygen for Democracy. The initiative aims to create a lasting platform for dialogue between academia, experts, public administration and decision-makers responsible for shaping European security policy.

The EUSI initiative focuses on key areas including the strategic direction of EU foreign policy, the development of the European defence industry, technology and innovation, resilience to hybrid threats, and building public support for security and defence policy.

The next edition of the EUSI dialogue, organised in cooperation with The Azure Forum, will take place in Dublin in late August and will continue the series of discussions on the future of Europe’s security architecture.

The full policy paper is available below.