The European Union faces an increasingly challenging security
environment, with a climate of international instability and a
level of tension not seen since the end of the Cold War. Repeated
chemical attacks by both State and non-state actors in the context
of the Syrian conflict, the Novichok attack in Salisbury and the
disruption of two ricine terror plots in Germany and in France in
2018 came all as stark reminders that the threat remains real and
that Member States could be affected. In this context, the European
Union (EU) continues to strengthen its capacities in the field of
CBRN preparedness and response. The use of EU mechanisms and Member
States’ military assets is one of the possibilities for
strengthening prevention capacities that must be explored more
thoroughly.