The day after the meeting of the European Ministers of Foreign Affairs, their Defence Ministers will meet on Friday 20 November to discuss Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and work on the ‘strategic compass’.
Permanent structured cooperation. Ministers will approve the strategic review of the PESCO and conclusions should be adopted in parallel by written procedure.
The review highlights the progress made by participating States in meeting the 20 more binding commitments they have made and reaffirms the main policy objectives of PESCO for its second phase (2021-2025).
Of the 47 PESCO projects launched, 12 have already achieved concrete results or have reached their initial operational capacity. 26 projects are expected to deliver concrete results or reach full operational capacity before the end of 2025. In addition, one of these projects – the EU Training Mission Competence Centre (EU TMCC) – will be closed by decision of the project members, according to a document seen by EUROPE.
Regarding PESCO, “there has been a lot of progress, but there is still a lot to progress on”, summarised one diplomatic source. This source cited, among other things, expenditure needs, especially with the impact of the pandemic, or the need to strengthen cooperation between Member States through more collaborative projects on the six priority areas for capability development identified in the Coordinated Annual Review of Defence (CARD). “There is a need to strengthen the commitment to operations to be able to project further, faster, more effectively and with greater ambition”, she added. According to another source, more focus is expected to be placed on operational projects, in particular on the deployment of joint forces in the field.
Strategic compass. Like their counterparts from Foreign Affairs, the Ministers will discuss the ongoing work on the ‘strategic compass’ following the first stage, which consisted of an analysis of threats – transnational, regional and hybrid threats in particular – by the intelligence services of Member States.
Ministers are expected to discuss how to turn this threat analysis into a political document, something more operational, according to a European source. Another source explained that the ultimate objective was to provide guidance on policies that need to be strengthened and to develop new initiatives to respond to identified emerging threats or issues.
From the beginning of 2021, thematic discussions will be held in Brussels and in the Member States on the four areas of the ‘compass’ (crisis management, resilience, capacity development and partnerships) to reflect on how to improve EU policy in these areas. The aim is to adopt the ‘compass’ at the beginning of 2022.
CSDP. The Ministers will also discuss the situation in Libya and take stock of the EUNAVFOR Med Irini mission, in particular in the context of the ceasefire signed on 23 October. According to a European source, the EU is ready to offer more on ceasefire monitoring, if requested by the UN.
The situation in the Sahel, in particular in Mali, with the resumption of the EUTM Mali and EUCAP Sahel Mali missions at full capacity after the August coup d’état, will also be discussed, as will the progress of the EUTM training missions in Mali, Somalia and the Central African Republic.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy could also refer to the current state of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC). In particular, it is understaffed (see EUROPE 12602/25).
European Peace Facility. An update will also be given on the ongoing negotiations on the future European Peace Facility, which will allow both the financing of CSDP operations and the provision of equipment, including lethal weapons and ammunition, to partners. “This is a complicated and sensitive subject, given the position of some Member States on this issue”, one diplomatic source acknowledged.
European Defence Agency. Ahead of the virtual meeting of ministers, the Administrative Board of the European Defence Agency will also meet virtually.
The meeting should be an opportunity to present the results of the first-ever Coordinated Annual Defence Review (CARD).
The report highlights three areas where enhanced cooperation is an objective – defence spending, defence planning and defence cooperation – and identifies opportunities for cooperation on joint capability development programmes and research projects. According to a European source, there are 100 possible concrete cooperation projects. She added that there was a real recognition of the need to concentrate investment in a few priority areas, including space, increased military mobility or main battle tanks.
Ministers are also expected to approve the Agency’s general budget for 2021, as well as its three-year planning framework for 2021-2023. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)