Brussels, 25/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - Battlegroups, civil-military cooperation, maritime surveillance as well as EU operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea) and Somalia (EU NAVFOR Atalanta) will be the main subjects discussed during the informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Gothenburg on 28 and 29 September.
Ministers are to meet on Monday afternoon to examine questions considered as a priority by the Swedish EU Presidency. The first working session will be dedicated to cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance and to cooperation in the field of civil-military capacity development. The discussion should allow synergies to be found between different players (both civilian and military), as well as between different states in the field of maritime surveillance. Ways to coordinate the various activities of the European Commission, the European Defence Agency and other regional initiatives will also be discussed. The second session of the day will be devoted to battlegroups (GT-1500). On the basis of proposals put forward by the Swedish EU Presidency, ministers are expected to take a stance, on one hand, on ways to improve flexibility and on the use of battlegroups and, on the other, on better coordination between battlegroups and the EU Military Staff. Without reopening the concept of battlegroups, a first proposal would allow these units to be used in operations other than the five missions currently foreseen (Petersberg missions) with possible differentiation in levels of standby. In practical terms, on the basis of a declaration of intentionality, member states making up a GT-1500 may declare a force within the battlegroup that could be used as a first entry force or, temporarily, as a force to plug gaps in the force generation process for EU military operations. This would be voluntary, with the result that funding of deployment of a battlegroup or part of a battlegroup would be ensured by the state that undertakes to deploy. The first declarations of intentionality could be announced during the next half-year coordination conference of the GT-1500, on 15 October. A second proposal aims to ensure better coordination between battlegroups on standby (two per semester), and between these groups in Brussels. Possible progress in this field should be contained in the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council enlarged to defence ministers (Jumbo Council) on 16 November.
On Tuesday 29 September, defence ministers will take stock of EU operations, especially on Operation Althea. Since the adoption of the Operations Concept (CONOPS) in May, the Council and EU Military Staff continue cautious planning aimed at reconfiguring the operation into a non-executive mission. Implementation of the Concept will continue to depend on the political decision concerning closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) of the international community, and strengthening of the mandate of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The executive council of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), responsible for assessing implementation of the Dayton Agreements and empowered to take the decision on closure of the OHR, is expected to meet on 18 and 19 November. However, it is unlikely that the decision will be in the affirmative - some EU member states (especially the United Kingdom) still highlight the fact that the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is fragile, this being a factor that prevents closure of the OHR. At the same time, the spectre of parliamentary elections in October 2010 could revive nationalist movements and further upset the country's political balance. Operations commander, General John McColl, as well as EUSR Valentin Inzko will take part in the discussion, which is above all focused on all military aspects of reconfiguration. Secondly, ministers - in the presence of Operation Atalanta Commander Rear Admiral Peter Hudson - are expected to continue the debate on stronger EU engagement in Somalia. The EU secretary general is expected to present to ministers the conclusions of a Council DG8 fact-finding mission on the possibilities for cooperation with players in the region. In addition to continuing maritime operations, it would be a question of beginning action on the ground and in particular of strengthening and supporting the Somali Transition Federal Government (TFG), as well as coastal administration-building throughout the country, either as part of a new ESDP mission or (and this seems more likely) by coordinating and ensuring follow-up of initiatives that already exist. Several avenues are already being looked at, in particular the development and expansion of a documentation centre in Djibouti which could take on the operational training of future Somali coastguards. The setting up of this project would, however, require coordination of the current training initiatives involving Uganda, the United Kingdom, Djibouti, Germany and France, and develop cooperation with two of the country's autonomous regions - Puntland (which already has its own coastguard system) and Somaliland. Funding could also come from the stability instrument managed by the European Commission. A possible financial contribution could be used to reinforce the UN mission (AMISOM), which at this stage is the only international force present on the ground. The EU maritime force, it could also contribute in a very limited extent to coastguard training, by embarking recruits on boats or verifying procedures at the entry of ports during stopovers. Before lunch, during a fourth and last working session, ministers will tackle the activities of the European Defence Agency and the development of military capabilities. According to the Swedish Presidency, a large part of the discussion should cover the possibility of harmonisation and transparency in the defence industry.
Ministers will close the meeting with a working lunch dedicated to the situation in Afghanistan, EU commitment in the region (Afghanistan and Pakistan) and cooperation between the EU and partner organisations. United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan Kai Eide will take part in the discussion via video link. (A.By./transl.jl)