The European Parliament on Thursday 17 February called for a security and defence doctrine for the Union through the Strategic Compass to increase its strategic autonomy.
By adopting the report by Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe, France) on the Common Security and Defence Policy in 2021 (369 votes in favour, 197 against and 123 abstentions), MEPs believe that there is an urgent need to establish a genuine European Security and Defence Union that encompasses all security aspects, instruments, budgets and capabilities, both military and civilian, as well as the whole conflict cycle, from prevention to post-conflict stabilisation.
MEPs welcome the launch of work on the ‘Strategic Compass’, which is “a starting point for implementing a common European defence and should constitute a major step towards a genuine European Defence Union”. They support the ambition to create a rapid reaction body, as proposed in the draft Compass, which “should either be the result of the ambitious reform of the battlegroups or completely replace them in order to avoid further capability duplications in the EU’s CSDP”. According to MEPs, the ‘Strategic Compass’ should also include the ambition to renew the civilian CSDP.
Ms Loiseau’s report also looks at the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations in 2020. Eleven civilian missions and seven EU military missions and operations are currently deployed.
MEPs call on the EU to reconsider and improve the current procedures for deploying missions in order to make the decision-making process faster and more efficient. Similarly, the EU and its Member States must equip CSDP missions and operations with the personnel, training and capabilities they need to fulfil their mandate and be more responsive and resilient in less favourable conditions, say MEPs.
Parliament also calls for the strengthening of the Union’s command structures, in particular the Military Staff (EUMS) and the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC).
Finally, the report calls for a more resilient Union, saying that this includes defending freedom of movement at sea, combating hybrid threats and strengthening cyber defence, preserving the Union’s space and air sovereignty and protecting strategic infrastructure.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dc (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)