The resolution, which was adopted in the form of thesis points, sets out key public sector trade union demands that should form the basis for further discussions on how the EU should react to Russian aggressions in economic and military terms. It stipulates, most notably that:

• NATO is everything but obsolete, as former US-President Donald Trump suggested. Indeed, NATO’s continued and functioning military deterrence infrastructure, including its nuclear arsenal, is vital to be maintained. It is the basis for non-aggression by Russia towards its territories;
• the election of former US-President Donald Trump has shown that the EU cannot entirely rely on the USA for its own defence at any time. Next to strengthened EU-NATO cooperation, the EU needs to much better develop its joint defence capabilities, including in research and development, military procurement, shared equipment and weapons, and joint operations;
• to this end, a Strategic Compass of the EU may provide a useful framework to steer the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and its Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to a fully-fledged European Defence Union (EDU), based on effective military, industrial and civilian cooperation;
• as the basis for transition to and implementation of the Strategic Compass, there must be an overall common understanding and mindset concerning the need for preparation of defence capabilities with all political actors. More than just military experts need to be integrated in the general outline of defence planning;
• the above will require increased military spending. It is imperative that, together, the armies of the Member States possess the necessary infrastructure in terms of staff levels, equipment, facilities, weapons and training to be operational and effective;
• however, it is vital that money spent in the military is spent wisely. Europe faces multiple challenges next to security and defence which require significant investment in other areas, above all for digitalisation, climate change mitigation and environmental protection, social protection and social fairness, as well as for performing public services for citizens and business – which need to be sufficiently resourced and resilient also to face unforeseeable major crises such as the Covid pandemic. Every Euro can only be spent once;
• next to total available financial budgets, a more intelligent and smarter pooling of know-how, resources and capabilities can significantly step up innovation, capabilities and action potential in defence. This is what the European Defence Union (EDU) should focus on above all;
• such pooling must not only take place among the EU Member States, but also with those directly concerned by it: civilian and military personnel in the armed forces and the unions which represent them. They often know best how work organisation can be rendered more effective, which operational shortcomings need to be addressed, and how new models of cooperation, coordination and joint deployment can be best put into practice on the ground. Their expertise must not be missed. To this end, they should be systematically consulted and heard in EU defence policy making just like in the national military structures they are employed in.

The full resolution with all thesis points is available here.