Policies

Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

The European Union has 27 member states, 490 million citizens and accounts for a quarter of the world's gross national product, making it far more than a confederation of states: the EU is a global player. The European Union's political and economic significance entails the responsibility of making an appropriate contribution towards the resolution of conflicts, including those located beyond its own continent. The European Union can, and must, contribute towards building a freer and safer world.

The European Union is characterised by a great diversity of historically rooted foreign policy and security traditions. The defence policies of the individual Member States display substantial differences in areas such as strategic planning, equipment, structure of the forces or in leadership style. But there are more factors uniting than dividing us. Europe shares a common set of values.

The Lisbon Treaty which has been in force since December 1st, 2009 formulates the fundamental convictions guiding the EU member states. These include, respect for human rights and dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law. The Lisbon Treaty has further developed the area of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) into the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) in two ways. First, general harmonization of the overall institutional framework which should facilitate relations between the Council and the Commission with respect to crisis management issues. Secondly, several articles in the treaty are intended to strengthen Europe’s role in the world through the improvement of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its subordinated area of CSDP.

In this context, the role and interest of the European Parliament (EP) lie in strengthening its scrutiny over CFSP and CSDP through both old and new instruments at its disposal: first, through its increased co-decision making powers, that now cover a larger number of policy areas with significant ‘external’ implications; secondly, through budgetary control, also on CFSP and civilian crisis management related activities; thirdly, through a constructive approach to the thorny issue of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and, fourthly, through the establishment of a good and balanced working relationship with the future members of the new ‘troika’, including the President of the European Council, the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and in particular the High Representative/ Vice-President of the European Commission.

The Treaty of Lisbon follows new elements of EU primary law that refers to the Common Security and Defence Policy. These are:

• the extension of the range of "Petersberg-Tasks" on disarmament measures, military advice and assistance, conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilisation;



• commitment of the EU Member States to make civilian and military capabilities available to CSDP;



• commitment of the EU Member States to progressively improve their defence capabilities;



• Embedding of the “Agency in the field of defence capabilities development, research, acquisition and armaments” (European Defence Agency/EDA) in EU primary-law:



• the creation of the possibility for those Member States whose military capabilities fulfil higher criteria and who wish to enter into more binding commitments in this area, to set up a "permanent structured cooperation";



• the introduction of a commitment to mutual assistance in the case of an armed attack on an EU Member State, respecting the "specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States";



• the introduction of a Solidarity Clause for all Member States with a view to confronting terrorist threats and disasters (“Solidarity Clause”).

Ten years after the initiation of the process leading to the ESDP, achievements in this area are impressive: 15 ongoing and 13 completed civilian and/or military operations prove that the EU is effective as an actor in security and defence affairs. This new situation nullified those critics who claim the non-existence of a European security engagement and a strategic void. We have been successful in achieving our goals at different levels:

At the institutional level we have witnessed the development of decision-making procedures of the Political and Security Committee at the centre of CSDP. We have seen the launching of the Military Committee, the Military Staff, the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), the Battle Groups and the creation of the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate (CMPD). All these institutions guarantee the implementation of a comprehensive approach in order to link civilian and military means and to assure inter-institutional cooperation.

At the strategic level, we have been able to formulate a first European Security Strategy in December 2003. The security environment in which members of the European Union wish to attain their common goals has changed radically since the end of the Cold War. The classic scenario of national defence, a major attack on Europe with armies of tanks and fleets of bombers and vessels, has become obsolete. As stated in the ESS, today's Europe finds itself confronted with new dangers which do not stop at national borders. These new strategic threats are international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology, the instability generated by regional conflicts and so-called "failed states", and the dangers resulting from organised crime. These dangers do not threaten specific individual countries in Europe - they threaten us all. For this reason, the EPP Group participates actively in the debate looking for common solutions for these challenges.

In the last few years, the EU has successfully carried out its external engagement, all of which have been actively supported and monitored by the EPP Group. Currently the CSDP missions and operations are:

• Western Balkans: EULEX Kosovo, EUPM Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation ALTHEA



• South Caucasus: EUMM Georgia



• Asia: EUPOL Afghanistan



• Middle East: EUJUST LEX, EUPOL COPPS, EUBAM RAFAH



• Africa: Operation ATALANTA/EUNAVFOR, EUTM Somalia, EUSEC RD Congo, EUPOL RD Congo, EU SSR Guinea-Bissau

These examples show what has already been achieved and is now functioning in the EU of today. But for the EPP Group, progress made in the last couple of years is far from complete. Europe has still to assume the global responsibilities laid down in the European Security Strategy.
The objective of the EPP Group is to build on the successes of the European integration process, to go beyond what has already been achieved and to initiate, as an expression of common security interests, a development which will in the end have a Security and Defence Union.