The Council decided on Monday 19 November to strengthen the EU's Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), which will assume command of EU non-executive military missions (see EUROPE 11805). The EU currently has three: EUTM Somalia, EUTM RCA and EUTM Mali.
“We have decided to strengthen our MPCC which will be able, in the next couple of years, to be not only responsible for all our training missions, but also to lead larger operations - up to 2,500 men and women in uniform - from the Brussels headquarters”, announced the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on 20 November.
In its conclusions, the Council agrees “to integrate the current executive tasks of the EU Operations Centre (OPSCEN) into the MPCC, with the objective to be ready by the end of 2020 to take responsibility for the operational planning and conduct of non-executive military CSDP missions and one executive military CSDP operation limited to EU Battlegroup size”.
It has agreed to gradually increase the permanent workforce to a maximum of 60 people, compared to the current 25.
It also calls for intensified coordination between the MPCC and the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) through the Joint Support Coordination Cell. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)