Key Notes

European security and defence policy (ESDP)

Now that the single market is in place and the currency union has become a reality with the introduction of the euro, formulating a European security and defence policy is the next decisive step towards the EU’s development as a political union.

In this phase of integration the EPP-ED has once more proved to be a driving force and provided the main rapporteurs in Brok and Morillon.

Each of their reports clearly states the Group’s position – which is supported by Parliament – that the development of a comprehensive European security and defence policy is an inseparable part of the common foreign and security policy and makes an effective contribution to the EU’s international credibility. The reports point out that the ESDP puts the EU in a position to defend its aims and values and to make a contribution to freedom, peace and stability in the world, in line with United Nations and human rights principles. Without prejudice to the North Atlantic Treaty but complementary to it and to the specific nature of some Member States’ defence policies, the EU has a duty to preserve its collective security and must therefore gradually build up a common defence policy. Only a Union with a whole range of crisis prevention and management tools can act independently at international level and remain a reliable partner within the transatlantic relationship.

For the EPP-ED Group, both rapporteurs clearly state that the current list of EU military intervention options (the Petersberg tasks) must be revised and expanded to include other tasks, such as conflict prevention, joint disarmament operations, military advice and assistance, post-conflict stabilisation measures and combating terrorism. The Group also points out that civilian crisis management should be placed on an equal footing with the military options in the context of the Petersberg tasks and is a core part of the ESDP. Accordingly, the EU and the Member States must develop their conflict prevention and peacekeeping capabilities and act to stabilise situations in advance of possible conflicts by sending police missions and through measures to strengthen democracy, public administration and the rule of law.

The EPP-ED rapporteurs unreservedly pay tribute to the first four crisis operations under the ESDP:

the police mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina,

the first ‘Concordia’ military peacekeeping operation in FYROM (Macedonia), using NATO planning and command structures,

the autonomous EU operation ‘Artemis’ in the Ituri region of Congo, and

the ‘Proxima’ police mission in FYROM (Macedonia), which replaced the Concordia operation on 15 December 2003.

The EPP-ED considers, in this connection, that the operational breakthrough achieved with these actions was only possible thanks to the successful conclusion of the EU-NATO negotiations in December 2002 on permanent EU access to NATO planning and command structures (‘Berlin Plus’) and that further consolidation of relations between EU and NATO as complementary organisations is an important element in developing the ESDP. This is particularly relevant with regard to establishing the future EU military headquarters for operational planning and management, which is only to be deployed under certain conditions, such as in circumstances when NATO structures and national planning and management structures are not available. This should prevent unnecessary duplication and a weakening of the alliance.

With regard to the financial implications of the ESDP, the EPP-ED Group has made clear that the EU’s credibility in this area is very much dependent on its ability to make appropriate funding available and to make better use of financial resources. Following on from this consideration, the Group called for the joint costs of EU military operations to be met from the EU budget and for an agency to be set up to coordinate military research and armament at European level and finally put an end to waste of scarce resources through the multiplicity of national programmes. This last proposal was taken up by the EU Heads of State and Government at the Brussels Summit of 12 December 2003 and should be put into effect by the end of 2004.

In the next parliamentary term it will be important to maintain parliamentary pressure for rapid expansion of the ESDP, including pushing for rapid implementation of the European action plan to develop military capabilities, in order to overcome the shortcomings that still exist, further intensify and improve cooperation with NATO and monitor constructively the first major test of the ESDP when a military mission of several thousand men is sent to Bosnia-Herzegovina to relieve the NATO troops there.


Elmar Brok, MEP
Philippe Morillon, MEP
Andreas-Renatus Hartmann