The Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Claudio Graziano, argued on Thursday 23 January for a substantial European Defence Fund.
“One of the clear objectives of the fund is to improve cooperation, avoid waste of resources or duplication. [...] It is a cornerstone towards a Europe of defence. That is why it would be absurd to reduce the resources earmarked for the EDF, especially at this historic moment”, he told MEPs on the European Parliament Security and Defence Subcommittee. While the Commission proposed €13 billion for the future fund, the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council halved this allocation. The Croatian Presidency of the EU Council, for its part, is in favour of the initial amount provided for by the Commission.
The general also came back to Libya, believing that it was necessary to consider fully relaunching Operation Sophia, in order to use the necessary means to enforce the arms embargo (see EUROPE 12407/1). “It would send a strong signal and a sense of urgency, but if you want to act [...] you have to have the capacity”, he warned.
Boats must therefore be deployed. “The need to act quickly in order to be a player is more important than the number of migrants that can be picked up”, General Graziano explained, while the mission is currently without naval assets due to a division over the issue of the port of disembarkation. “With the guidance of the Political and Security Committee (PSC), we can focus on the arms embargo. It would be odd not to reach a quick agreement on an operation that already exists”, he added.
More generally, according to the general, “the world is waiting for the EU to establish itself as a stronger global player”. According to him, “we must therefore be incisive in our actions”. “We are very well placed to act as a security guarantor either autonomously or with partners, especially on crises in our immediate neighbourhood”, he added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)