Brussels, 29/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and, over the course of the last six years, has seen 22 operations launched on four continents. At a conference organised by the Swedish Presidency and the EU Institute for Security Studies in Brussels on Tuesday 28 July, EU High Representative Javier Solana said that the strength of the ESDP came from the consensus on which it was built and its moral and legal legitimacy. “Nothing can be achieved without the appropriate tools,” he said, highlighting the disparity “between our level of ambition and the reality of our capabilities”. “In an uncertain world, with its rapidly changing dynamics and threats, the more we take action together, the more efficient we will be - and the stronger and safer Europe will be,” he went on, stressing the added value of the civil-military approach that underpins the ESDP. Highlighting the importance of partnerships with third countries and international organisations (he mentioned the UN, NATO, the OSCE and the UA), Solana repeated that the debate on the EU or NATO had been overtaken. “The EU is not a military alliance and the added value of the broader EU/ESDP approach has been demonstrated. We now have to develop a more flexible framework for working together,” he said. Referring to the next steps, he suggested that it had now to be ensured that “Europe works well”, with more flexible institutions, decision-making processes and command structures. The Lisbon Treaty, if and when it comes into force, should create the right conditions. To this must be added, the need for greater crisis management capabilities, particularly in terms of rapid response, adequate and flexible financial means, and more sophisticated political analyses. “We need solidarity, and that includes on the political level,” he stated, noting that this solidarity was essential for force projections. “The ESDP looks after risks. And we should be prepared to take more risks,” he concluded.
Although Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt acknowledges with the High Representative that Europe is demanding more and more, and “often exceeding what we can supply”, he also considers the Union must step up its capabilities. In his view, this means reviewing the objective of deploying a 60,000 strong force, which is not adapted to the needs of EU operations, but also fulfilling the Headline Goal requirements approved under French presidency in December 2008. On the subject of battlegroups (GT-1500), the Swedish minister said that, although these do exist on paper, it is necessary to ensure they can be effectively deployed. He went on to call for a half-yearly exercise aimed at demonstrating their potential (availability, deployability, flexibility). Carl Bildt takes the view that it is also essential to take into account the fact that there are two sections to security - homeland security and security abroad. The Council president pointed out that ESDP must also develop new operational tasks in the fields of cyberdefence, infectious diseases and counter-terrorism. He felt that “2003 security strategy is a good document (…) but is not a real strategy” and that work must be continued. With its large number of diplomats deployed throughout the world (the number of 40,000 was mentioned), the EU must be able to improve its crisis prevention results, he explained, before going on to underline that Sweden hopes during the last weeks of its presidency to complete the work required for setting up the future European External Action Service.
Answering questions, Javier Solana stressed the: - need for European countries not to neglect military capabilities to ensure they have the wherewithal to take part in major operations; - creation of an EU operational headquarters; - development of the European Defence Agency; - and the effort that must be made in terms of training and recruitment of civilian personnel for ESDP missions. (O.J./transl.rt/jl)