Brussels, 05/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 July, the European Commission proposed legislative changes to enable the EU budget to be used for financing the supply of non-lethal equipment to the security forces of third countries.
The member states had long awaited this proposal and their defence ministers did not hold back on accusing the Commission of excessive red tape and legal quibbling, which slowed down the realisation of a much cherished idea (see Europe Diplomacy & Defence - EDD 883). The foreign ministers exerted the same pressure, drawing on the results obtained from pilot projects conducted in Somalia and Mali (see EUROPE 11275).
The debate on the possibility of using the EU budget to finance military supplies, albeit non-lethal, has nevertheless been bitter, with many legal and ethical questions being raised. One of the difficulties involved respecting the limits set by the treaties - which forbid financing from the budget for military operations or operations with defence implications (Article 41.2).
The solution now proposed by the Commission involves providing the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace with an additional €100 million between 2017 and 2020, with the objective of financing uniquely non-lethal equipment “under exceptional and clearly delimited circumstances” with the end purpose of “sustainable development”. This equipment could consist, for example, of vehicles, IT and telecommunications technology, uniforms or office furniture, and would be for use by the security forces of any third country, especially when the EU deploys an advisory mission and or a training mission for civil security or armed forces.
This legislative proposal was inserted in a communication made jointly with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on security sector reform (SSR). The Commission is thus presenting its proposal as a new framework for the SSR, which should combine the autonomous instruments of the common security and defence policy (CSDP) with those of the Commission for development aid. The Commission justifies its approach by saying that today it is no longer possible to favour sustainable development without taking into consideration one of the essential instruments of any government - its security forces. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)