The Defence Ministers of the EU Member States will meet in Brussels on Thursday 6 May for an EU Council meeting whose main topic will be the ‘EU Strategic Compass’, and in particular crisis management.
Strategic Compass. The ministers and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will therefore discuss and make proposals on the issue of crisis management and what more and better can be done to respond to current and future crises. “We are in a phase of reflection and not of negotiation”, said an EU source.
Several topics are expected be addressed, including the need for Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations to be more responsive, particularly in the decision-making process and in force generation. These operations should also have more robust mandates, “adapted to today’s world” and be more flexible, with the possibility of ad hoc forms of missions.
According to a senior EU diplomat, ministers will discuss the concept of a “first entry force”. This could include 5,000 troops and could be deployed quickly, for example if a third country government was concerned about a possible takeover by a terrorist organisation. They would also participate in joint exercises and training to improve their ability to deploy together. This concept is supported by 14 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain).
The ministers will reportedly also look at how to better organise civilian and military actions, but also at improving structures to support and command missions. Finally, the EU Council is expected to reflect on how to adapt to the new strategic environment, especially within the 2030 timeframe, including how to strengthen links with partners.
Similar reflections will be held in the near future on the other three areas of the ‘Strategic Compass’: resilience, capacity development and partnerships. The aim is to have a first draft Strategic Compass for EU Council consideration in November 2021 and final adoption in March 2022.
Current affairs. Ministers are expected to discuss ongoing CSDP operations in the near future.
They will first discuss the situation in the Sahel, following Mr Borrell’s visit to Mauritania, Chad and Mali.
The EU Council is also expected to take stock of the situation in Mozambique. According to an EU source, the discussion will be an opportunity for the High Representative to recall the ongoing reflection on what the EU can do to support the authorities against terrorist movements. “The reflection is still ongoing, it is global, it goes from humanitarian to development, with what we can do in terms of security (...) All Member States agree on the seriousness of the situation and on the need to reach a decision quickly”, explained this source. Portugal is pushing for an EU training mission (see EUROPE 12701/31).
The EU Council is also expected to take stock of the recently extended two-year Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI (see EUROPE 12680/14) and discuss how to remain engaged in support of the new Libyan authorities and the United Nations.
Ministers will also be invited to share their assessment of the situation with Russia, particularly following troop movements on the Ukrainian border.
The EU Council is expected to agree to the participation of three third countries - the United States, Canada and Norway - in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project on Military Mobility (see EUROPE 12692/18). It will also reportedly give its political support to the conclusions on security and defence, which will be formally adopted on Monday 10 May by the EU foreign Ministers (see EUROPE 12712/15).
NATO. The EU Council will conclude with a lunch in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The ministers and the Secretary General will come back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Operation EUFOR Althea. They will also discuss Libya and the coordination between the EU’s operation IRINI and NATO’s Sea Guardian. There is no administrative arrangement between the two operations due to a blockage on the side of the Turkish ally.
Finally, the NATO Secretary General will brief the ministers on the Alliance’s objectives regarding the timetable for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Russia could also be mentioned.
Prior to their EU Council, the ministers will participate in the European Defence Agency’s Steering Board, in order, among other things, to take stock of the implementation of the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (see EUROPE 12606/2). The EU Council will be followed, for the first time, by the Governing Board of the EU Satellite Imaging Centre, SatCen. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)