On Wednesday 15 January, MEPs said it was necessary to develop strategic autonomy in the EU in the field of defence.
The term ‘strategic autonomy’ appears 30 times in the report by Arnaud Danjean (EPP, France) on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy, adopted in plenary (364 votes in favour, 266 against and 77 abstentions).
The report points out that, beyond insufficient investment and the lack of capabilities and interoperability, there is a “political reluctance to implement the robust provisions provided for in the European Treaties” hampering the European Union’s ability to play a “decisive” role in external crises.
The response to the Union’s security challenges is mainly based on defining and strengthening its strategic autonomy, its means and its ability to work in a strategic partnership with others, stress MEPs, highlighting in particular NATO.
In their view, European strategic autonomy should be articulated in the field of foreign and security policy and in the industrial, capabilities (joint programmes, investment in defence technologies) and operational fields (financing of operations, strengthening of partners’ capabilities, mission planning and conduct capability).
For the European Parliament, in order to increase this strategic autonomy, it is necessary for the States to increase their defence spending and strengthen the European defence industrial and technological base.
Mr Danjean’s report also returns to the missions and operations of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), calling for the establishment of mandates, budgets, rules of engagement and operational procedures adapted to the operations concerned and an exit strategy.
More generally, Parliament wanted a European defence strategy to be drawn up as a “necessary complement to the global strategy for 2016”, adding that the forthcoming conference on the future of Europe should include reflections on the future European Defence Union.
See the report: http://bit.ly/35WODPi (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)