On Thursday 8 June, the EU Council adopted the decision establishing the military planning and conduct capability (MPCC) within the EU military staff (EUMS). The terms of reference of the EUMS were also amended and approved.
The MPCC will assume command of EU non-executive military missions. There are currently three of these: EU Training Mission (EUTM) Somalia, EUTM Central African Republic (RCA) and EUTM Mali. The MPCC will be "responsible for the operational planning and conduct of non-executive missions, including the building up, launching, sustaining and recovery of European Union forces", the Council states in a press release. It adds that this will allow the mission staff in the field to concentrate on the specific activities of their mission, with better support provided from Brussels.
The MPCC will initially be composed of up to 25 staff but will also benefit from the support of other departments of the EUMS. The director general of the EUMS will additionally be the director of the MPCC and will exercise command and control over the training missions.
The MPCC will work closely with its existing civilian counterpart, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), through a joint support coordination cell.
No exact date has been announced for the actual launch of the MPCC. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)