Gothenburg, 29/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Gothenburg on Tuesday 29 September for the second day of their informal meeting, a majority of EU defence ministers supported the idea of European commitment in favour of Somalia's Transitional Government, although arrangements for engagement have not been settled. “The European Union is ready to examine how it can contribute to supporting the transitional government” in Somalia, a European diplomatic source told the press, without jumping to the conclusion that a civilian ESDP mission will be launched there. This option, however, has not been discarded and Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom envisage the possibility of EU participation in the training of Somali security forces. The meeting also opened the road to strengthened cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance but no consensus has yet been reached on a more flexible interpretation of battlegroups.
Somalia. On Tuesday, on the basis of recommendations by CFSP High Representative Javier Solana, most delegations supported commitment in favour of the Somali security forces. France, which undertook in April to train a battalion of Somali security forces in Djibouti, will launch the second round of training in early October. Cyprus and Luxembourg, which make a financial contribution to the French mission, have reaffirmed their commitment. Spain and Germany have also given their support to civilian solutions. Answering questions put to him by EUROPE, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung specified that it was still necessary to determine how such support can be delivered. Cited by AFP, Mr Jung nonetheless pointed out that he gave his “general support” to the French initiative to train security forces. “Spain considers that the solution (in Somalia) is not military” and will therefore support solutions that beef up civilian action and action on the ground, the Spanish minister, Carme Chacón, said. The United Kingdom, which already funds two Somali coastguard training centres (in Mombassa and Aden) is no longer opposed to commitment at European level. According to London, the arrangements for this involvement still need to be looked at.
Other member states, such as Poland, take the view that launching a new ESDP mission could be somewhat tricky at the present time. Before taking such a decision, it would be preferable to ensure there are sufficient personnel available to make up the mission. Addressing the press, Sweden's defence minister and president-in-office of the Council, Sten Tolgfors, said on Tuesday that the Swedish EU Presidency will be presenting concrete proposals in coming weeks. In any case, ministers will look at the matter again on 16 November during the General Affairs/External Relations Council enlarged to defence ministers (Jumbo Council).
Maritime surveillance. After a brief debate that unfolded during the first day's work, on Monday 28 September, defence ministers reached a unanimous agreement on the need to strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance. “We had a great first session” and “we agreed to share and use existing information”, the Swedish minister told the press. The aim of the Swedish Presidency is to reach a political agreement on improving inter-pillar, inter-agency and international cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance. This mainly entails coordinating, at European level, the different initiatives that already exist in this field (in particular the project currently developed by the European Defence Agency, EDA), as well as civilian initiatives funded by the European Commission and regional initiatives. “Linking different national systems does not cost a lot and is effective”, Mr Tolgfors stressed. The EU Presidency will therefore continue the work on the basis of a preliminary report by the EDA group of experts and a European Commission communication on integration of maritime surveillance, scheduled for 15 October. It will seek to reach an agreement at the Jumbo Council on 16 November.
Battlegroups. On Monday also, ministers held a first debate on another Presidency priority which aims to give flexibility to battlegroup employment through a voluntary declaration of engagement (EUROPE 9985). “A large number of states were in favour of strengthened flexibility” but some fear such a development will be detrimental to the credibility of the battlegroups, Tolgfors said. Some of the member states, especially the smaller ones, highlighted the need to increase funding, he said, noting however that all member states agreed it was necessary to strengthen cooperation between battlegroups placed on standby at the same time. Germany, which is opposed to any change in the concept, nonetheless undertook not to block the initiatives of those who hope to allocate their battlegroups to purposes other than those set out in the current concept. The United Kingdom and France supported the Presidency's approach, like Spain, which stated that more flexible employment of battlegroups should not bring the EU rapid response capability into question. Discussion on this will also continue during the Jumbo Council.
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Pending the next Peace Implementation Council (PIC) scheduled for early November, ministers also took stock of the situation in this country. General John McColl, Commander of EU Operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea), was present. (A.By./transl.jl).