Despite repeated efforts, much-needed improvements to increase the strategic impact of the European Union’s (EU) Civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (civilian CSDP) have failed to materialize. This state of affairs risks civilian CSDP’s credibility and legitimacy in addressing the EU’s foreign policy priorities and security challenges. Against this backdrop, this research policy paper provides decision makers with seven questions for discussion. These questions touch upon civilian CSDP’s future as a crisis management tool, its functional and geographical prioritization, the breadth of mission mandates, host country relations and other aspects that have remained largely unresolved following two civilian CSDP compacts. To maintain civilian CSDP’s strategic relevance and prepare the instrument for the future, member states need to agree on answers to these questions.