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Background Papers

Last updated in January 2004

European Security and Defense Policy

Summary
Capabilities development
First operations
EU-NATO
The EU and other countries
Cooperation with international organizations
Further development of the ESDP

Summary
Four years after its conception at the Cologne European Council, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is now operational. The aim of the ESDP is to ensure that the EU has the necessary civilian and military capabilities to undertake effective crisis management operations within the framework of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

In 2003 four such operations were undertaken:

the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina as from January 2003
Operation Concordia from March to December 2003 in Macedonia, an EU military operation drawing on NATO assets and capabilities
Operation Artemis from June to September 2003 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an "autonomous" EU military operation
the European Union Police Mission (EUPOL "Proxima" in Macedonia as from mid-December 2003.

Discussions are currently under way on further possible ESDP operations, including a follow-up operation for the NATO-led SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a police mission in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

The European Convention made a number of important proposals on the further development of the ESDP. While it was not possible to finalize the draft constitution for Europe at the Brussels European Council in December 2003, prior to the meeting agreement had in fact been reached on all issues relating to the ESDP.

The strategic partnership between the EU and NATO is a crucial dimension of Europe's ability to effectively address security issues. Under framework arrangements concluded in March 2003 ("Berlin Plus"), the EU may draw on NATO assets and capabilities for this purpose.

Development of capabilities

a. Military capabilities
At the Helsinki European Council in December 1999 EU member states set themselves the so-called Helsinki Headline Goal, defined as the ability to deploy in any crisis area within 60 days forces capable of the full range of Petersberg tasks in operations up to corps level (50-60,000 persons).

The EU is now capable of conducting operations across the full range of Petersberg tasks (humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping and crisis management operations, including peacemaking). The draft constitution for Europe envisages that such operations may also be conducted to support the fight against terrorism. A European Capability Action Plan has been adopted to ensure that any remaining shortfalls in achieving the Headline Goal are remedied. By generating synergies the Plan is also intended to improve coordination of member states' efforts in this area and to enhance efficiency. Military capabilities are to be developed in close consultation with NATO.

The Thessaloniki European Council tasked the appropriate bodies to undertake the necessary actions towards creating, in the course of 2004, an intergovernmental agency in the field of defence capabilities development, research, acquisition and armaments. On 17 November 2003 the Council approved a basic document on the agency's structure, functions and institutional framework and agreed to appoint a task force to get the agency up and running.

b. Civilian capabilities
The civilian dimension of the ESDP has four components, each with related targets: police operations, rule of law, civil administration and civil protection. At a conference on civilian crisis management held on 19 November 2002 ministers noted that the quantitative targets in all four areas had now been fulfilled: EU member states have notified that a total of 5,000 police officers are available for ESDP missions, of whom 1,400 can be deployed within 30 days. Some 282 rule-of-law experts (including 72 judges and 48 public prosecutors) are available, a figure well in excess of the 200 target figure. Work is proceeding on the establishment of a pool of experts to undertake civil administration tasks. To undertake civil protection intervention tasks, two to three assessment and coordination teams can be deployed at seven hours' notice and a further 2,000 experts are available if needed. In all four areas conceptual planning is also well advanced: as regards police and rule-of-law operations plans have been drawn up for so-called substitution missions - i.e. missions intended to replace local structures and institutions that have stopped functioning - as well as for so-called strengthening missions intended to support local structures and institutions. Various national institutions in the member states are currently developing and coordinating training modules and pilot projects for experts on civil administration and rule-of-law issues.

In cases where also the European Commission is involved in crisis management operations ("first " pillar of the EU), the necessary coordination takes place within the framework of the CFSP/ESDP ("second" - intergovernmental - pillar of the EU). In all crisis management operations the Union normally has a special envoy on the ground who is responsible for political coordination.

First operations
The year 2003 was a milestone in the evolution of the ESDP, for the focus shifted from the development of capabilities to the actual planning and conduct of crisis management operations. The first such operation was the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which on 1 January 2003 took over from the UN-led police mission there and whose mandate is to monitor, mentor and inspect the local police force. Some 500 officers are serving with EUPM (including around 80 German officers), of whom approx. 20% are nationals of non-EU countries.

In December 2003 another EU police mission (EUPOL "Proxima") began operations in Macedonia. Consultations are currently under way on another possible EU mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose main task would be to train and monitor an integrated police force in the country's capital, Kinshasa.

In the military field the EU-led Operation Concordia took over from the NATO operation Allied Harmony in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Some 350 troops served with this first-ever EU-led military operation, which was intended to complement and reinforce the Union's extensive and ongoing efforts to bring greater stability to the country. The operation, which ended in December, was not only a notable success but also a good example of how the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO can function in the Balkans: the EU was able to draw on NATO's planning capabilities; the Operation's commander, the German Admiral Rainer Feist, was NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe; a NATO evacuation team was available on stand-by if needed.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 1484, the EU conducted from June to September 2003 a robust military operation in Bunia (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the basis of Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. This limited-duration deployment was designed to enable the UN Secretary-General to reinforce the existing UN mission MONUC. Operation Artemis ended as planned in September and responsibility for security in Bunia was handed over to MONUC. It was the first-ever operation conducted by the EU with its own resources, without having recourse to NATO assets and capabilities. NATO was, however, duly informed and consulted in line with the EU-NATO Berlin Plus arrangements.

Already at the Copenhagen European Council in December 2002 the EU had indicated its "willingness to lead a military operation in Bosnia following SFOR", drawing on NATO assets and capabilities. Such an operation requires close consultation with NATO and the United States, whose presence remains crucial to the long-term stability of the region. NATO foreign ministers agreed in December 2003 that the EU and NATO should consult on a possible EU-led operation. In Germany's view such an operation is likely to be launched before the end of the year.

EU-NATO
The purpose of the ESDP is not to replace but to complement NATO and, by enhancing the Union's ability to act, to reinforce the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO. The ESDP is in fact designed to strengthen NATO's European pillar. As both the EU and NATO have on repeated occasions made clear, it is very important, for political as well as for financial reasons, that particularly those countries which belong to both organizations should closely coordinate ("single set of forces") the development of military capabilities in NATO and the EU, so that the two processes mutually reinforce each other. That goes also for the new NATO Response Force (NRF) whose creation was agreed at the Prague NATO summit on 21 November 2002, as well as related activities in connection with the EU's Headline Goal.

Improving military capabilities within the framework of the ESDP will not only strengthen the Europeans' capacity to act but also enhance the interoperability of American and European armed forces in NATO. At the end of 2002 this strategic partnership was buttressed by the conclusion of permanent arrangements between the EU and NATO. In mid-March 2003 the so-called Berlin Plus package - the name goes back to a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) held in Berlin in 1996 - was finalized, giving the EU inter alia assured access to NATO assets and capabilities without the need for prior approval by the NAC.

The strategic partnership between the EU and NATO is a cornerstone of our collective security. Prompt and ongoing consultation and liaison between the two organizations is clearly a crucial aspect of this partnership.

The EU and other countries
Although overall responsibility for all decisions concerning ESDP operations remains with the EU, other countries - including notably the accession countries and non-EU European countries that are members of NATO - are welcome to participate in such operations. Regular meetings are held with such countries at both ministerial level and at the level of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and Military Committee (EUMC). Non-EU countries have already indicated a willingness to contribute to possible EU operations of a military or civilian nature. However, since the ESDP is an open project, also other countries with which the EU has an intensive political dialogue - Canada, Russia and Ukraine, for example - may participate in such operations.

Some 18 non-EU countries are providing some 20% of the personnel serving with the EU police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina that started in January 2003. By the same token, some 14 non-EU countries are participating in Operation Concordia in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Canada is participating in the EU-led operation Artemis, as are also for the first time a number of countries such as Brazil and South Africa, which are not integrated into Euroatlantic structures.

Cooperation with international organizations
Through the development of ESDP capabilities, the EU will be able to contribute to peace missions and hence provide real added value for international organizations such as the United Nations and the OSCE. Important aspects in this connection are information-sharing and compatibility of standards and equipment. With both organizations there is intensive liaison at all levels. In September 2003 the EU and the United Nations adopted a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Crisis Management.

Further development of the ESDP
In accordance with a decision taken at the Franco-German summit in Schwerin in July 2002, Germany and France jointly submitted in November 2002 a substantive set of proposals to the European Convention for the further development of the ESDP. Key aspects of these proposals are reflected in the draft constitution, which envisages new flexibility instruments for the ESDP (enhanced cooperation, structured cooperation), a so-called mutual solidarity clause with regard to the consequences of terrorist attacks and natural or man-made disasters and the creation of a European Armaments, Research and Military Capabilities Agency.

Although on all ESDP aspects of the draft constitution consensus now exists among the 25 EU member states and accession countries, it was not possible to finalize the document at the Brussels European Council on 12 December 2003. However, agreement was reached on a paper presented by the Italian Presidency entitled "European Defence: NATO/EU consultation, planning and operations", which was based on proposals drawn up by Germany, France and Britain following a joint initiative announced by Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg on 29 April 2003. This seminal agreement will lend important momentum to the evolving ESDP and the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU.

The Secretary-General/High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy was asked by the European Council to present concrete proposals for the implementation of the agreed changes so that they take effect at the earliest possible date in 2004. The main objectives are two-fold: firstly, to improve the planning of EU operations drawing on NATO assets and capabilities and, secondly, to strengthen the EU's capacity to plan and conduct autonomous EU-led operations (i.e. without recourse to NATO assets and capabilities). To achieve the first objective, an EU defence planning cell based at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is to be set up and SHAPE liaison officers are to be based within the EU Military Staff. This will serve to reinforce key elements of the Berlin Plus package and forge closer links between NATO and the EU with regard to operations drawing on the Alliance's assets and capabilities.

The main vehicle for achieving the second objective - strengthening the EU's capacity to plan and conduct autonomous EU-led operations - will be member states' national headquarters. However, to ensure that the EU also has a capability of its own in this area, it is planned to establish a cell with civilian/military components within the EU Military Staff. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary to draw on this collective capability for planning and conducting autonomous EU crisis management operations, especially when the situation requires a joint civilian and military response and no national headquarters has been designated to undertake this task.