In times of change and unpredictability, we need a strong European Union like never before. It is what our citizens deserve and what the wider world expects. The threats we face are too large for any single state to tackle, but together we can successfully meet challenges such as terrorism and climate change. Yet these are also times of extraordinary opportunity. Global growth, mobility, and technological progress enable us to thrive, and allow ever more people to live longer, freer lives.

In such exceptional circumstances, the European Union needs a compass – a strategic sense of direction, a shared vision, a platform for acting together. This is why, in June 2016, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini presented a new Global Strategy for the EU's foreign and security policy: "Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe"

As the result of an extensive consultation process, this Strategy sets out our core interests and principles for engaging in the world, and helps explain what the EU stands for and hopes to achieve.