Brussels, 14/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - In its conclusions adopted on Friday 14 December, the European Council devoted an unusually sizeable place to common security and defence policy (CSDP). Looking ahead to the European Council of December 2013, which will be largely devoted to defence issues, by fixing “priorities and timelines” to increase EU capabilities and safeguard its defence technological and industrial base, the heads of state and/or government today call on the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton as well as on the European Commission to report on such initiatives by September 2013 at the latest. Although priorities have been identified, the text adopted nonetheless remains silent about the possible use of EU legislative and budgetary instruments.
Three priority areas have thus been identified by the EU27. Firstly, it is a matter of increasing the “effectiveness, visibility and impact of CSDP” by further developing the comprehensive EU approach for deploying civilian and military capabilities with a view to meeting international “security challenges”. As Herman Van Rompuy, Council President, said after the meeting, the EU will have to meet such challenges that have “increased over the last few years; and our countries are being called upon to assume more responsibility in the maintenance of peace in our neighbourhood and beyond”.
Secondly, the European Council recognises the “urgent necessity to strengthen European cooperation in order to develop military capabilities and fill the critical gaps”. This should therefore be “more systematic and longer term European defence cooperation” including cooperation in national defence planning. Belgian's Prime Minister Elio di Rupo, who was speaking at a press briefing after the summit, underlined the need to adopt a common approach. He said that the visions of each of the countries are quite different from each other despite there being just one reality - technical development and a cost that is growing bigger and more difficult for any single nation to bear, if viable military capabilities are to be developed. On this, Ashton, through the European External Action Service (EEAS) and with the support of the European Defence Agency (EDA), and the Commission, are urged to identify “current redundancies and capabilities shortfalls and prioritise future requirements for European civilian and military capabilities”.
Thirdly, the tricky question of the European defence industry was also raised and the European Council of December 2013 is expected to set out the different ways in which to develop “a more integrated, sustainable, innovative and competitive European defence technological and industrial base”, the aim being to achieve a single European defence market, as Mario Monti, the leader of the Italian government said. French President François Hollande underlined that this is an important change of perspective. “We need a European defence industry” (our translation), he said during a press briefing on Friday 14 December, stressing that member states, including France, have hitherto been reticent. Other points were also referred to such as the need to develop “greater synergies between civilian and military research and development”, or the potentially beneficial impact of a common defence approach on “employment, growth, innovation and industrial competitiveness”. Monti said this raises the question of knowing how to connect defence investment to the strategies for economic growth and technological innovation and employment. (JK/MD/FG/EH/transl.jl)