On Thursday 22 June, the EU heads of state and government decided to pick up speed on creating a Defence Europe.
In their conclusions, the European leaders therefore called for the creation of "an inclusive and ambitious" Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). They called for the member states to work within three months on a "common list of criteria and binding commitments", in line with the Treaty of Lisbon, "including with a view to the most demanding missions".
This list will be accompanied by "a precise timetable and specific assessment mechanisms, in order to enable member states which are in a position to do so to notify their intentions to participate without delay", the Council states.
This is a "historic step because this cooperation will enable the EU to move towards deeper integration in the area of defence", European Council President Donald Tusk stated. Concrete collaborative projects and initiatives should also be identified in support of PESCO's common goals, commitments and criteria.
According to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU will conduct missions, "for example in Africa, while focusing not only on the military aspects but also on cooperation, development and diplomatic paths". "This is a real added value", she said.
Further progress is that the 28 EU member states agreed that the deployment of battlegroups "should be borne as a common cost by the EU-managed Athena mechanism on a permanent basis".
The European Council also hailed the European Commission's proposal for a European Defence Fund, and looks forward to its swift implementation.
According to France's President Emmanuel Macron, the Commission's proposals on this fund are "really of an unprecedented scale, both with regard to the amounts planned, and with regard to the perimeters for EU budget action on defence issues".
The European Council asked the member states to identify suitable capability projects for the European Defence Fund, and to continue working on options for the joint procurement of capabilities within the European Defence Fund based on sound financing mechanisms. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)