On Wednesday 28 June, Cosmin Dobran, Director of the Integrated Approach for Security and Peace at the European External Action Service, announced that the EU could soon launch a Common Security and Defence Policy mission, both civilian and military, in four coastal African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.
At a hearing of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Mr Dobran explained that the partners in these countries wanted to strengthen their cooperation with the EU and international partners. “They stressed the importance of having a regional perspective on the crisis”, he said, adding that the four countries had identified needs in terms of training, advice and equipment, including light equipment.
According to Mr Dobran, four areas for action have been identified: the resilience of vulnerable regions, pre-deployment training for security and defence forces, strengthening the technical capabilities of the security forces, and lastly, the rule of law and good governance in the security sector, focusing on defence and security forces.
“To cover everything, our proposal is an integrated approach combining all the instruments available: a CSDP mission with a military and a civilian arm, and a broader partnership to provide more comprehensive assistance”, explained Mr Dobran.
According to the EEAS director, this single mission should have around 20 staff, including 10 experts on the ground and 10 in Brussels. He said that the crisis management concept should be adopted in the coming weeks, adding that the EU was awaiting a formal letter of invitation from the four countries before it could set up the mission. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)