The Council of the European Union, on Friday 18 December, reached a political agreement on the European Peace Facility. The purpose of this new instrument, located outside the EU budget, is to finance external operations with military or defence implications with the aim of preventing conflicts, preserving peace and strengthening international security and stability (see EUROPE 12598/18).
Presented in June 2018 (see EUROPE 12040/10), this Facility will be endowed with €5 billion for the period 2021-2027. It will enable the EU, for the first time ever, to complement the activities of its Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations in partner countries with assistance measures, which may include the provision of equipment, including lethal equipment, infrastructure or military support at the request of non-Member States or regional or international organisations.
The Facility will supersede the African Peace Facility and the Athena mechanism previously used to finance the operational common costs of the different EU CSDP military missions and operations, such as costs related to headquarters, transport of personnel or force protection.
Welcoming the agreement, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that the “European Peace Facility will strengthen our ability to help our partners improve their security and defence”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)