Issue # 54 - 8 December 2011
Les Vingt-sept renouvellent leur engagement
pour une PSDC active et performante
Catherine Ashton participates in the
International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn
Au cours de leur session
semestrielle au sein du
Conseil, les ministres de
la défense de l’UE ont fait
le point sur la PSDC. Le
3130ème Conseil des affaires étrangères a ensuite
adopté des conclusions qui
réitèrent l’importance d’une PSDC efficace et suffisamment dotée parmi les outils qui composent “l’approche globale” de l’UE.
“The future of Afghanistan matters to us. Total
EU civilian assistance is
about €1 billion a year,
from the institutions and
our member states. We do
not just send money: our
mission EUPOL has been
supporting the build up of civilian police and we have trained
over 3,000 officers (…). We will maintain funding at least at current levels and we will also confirm today that EUPOL will stay.”
Le Conseil a souligné son plein engagement s’agissant
des missions et opérations PSDC en cours et s’est engagé à faire tous les efforts pour combler l’insuffisance
en ressources qui touche certaines d’entre elles.
Dans le cadre des efforts de l’UE pour contrer les menaces
à la sécurité dans la Corne de l’Afrique, les ministres ont
convenu de discuter début 2012 de la prorogation du
mandat de l’opération EU NAVFOR Atalanta, et approuvé
le concept de gestion de crise pour une future mission
civile – doublée d’une expertise militaire – visant à
renforcer les capacités maritimes de huit pays de la région.
Le Conseil a pris note des travaux en cours pour une autre
mission au Sud-Soudan. Par ailleurs, il a encouragé la Haute
Représentante à préparer dès cette année un éventuel engagement de l’UE au Sahel, qui se ferait en étroite coopération avec l’Union africaine. Il a également rappelé que l’UE
était disposée à soutenir la Libye dès 2012, notamment pour
la réforme du secteur de la sécurité et la gestion des frontières.
Dans le domaine des capacités civiles et militaires, le Conseil a
constaté les progrès réalisés afin de promouvoir des synergies
et donc des économies, mais a souligné les efforts importants
qui restaient à fournir. A cet égard, il a salué les avancées concrètes en termes de mise en commun et de partage des moyens
militaires (voir ci-contre) et précisé que ce type de coopération
devait être développé sur le long terme et de façon systématique.
More
EUPOL Afghanistan
Pooling and sharing: 11 concrete projects to
improve European military capabilities
At the European Defence Agency (EDA) Steering Board on 30 November, Defence Ministers gave a clear sign of political engagement to develop together military capabilities through pooling
and sharing. They endorsed a list of 11 projects and made formal commitments to lead and to participate in these projects.
Following the ‘Ghent initiative’ by Germany and Sweden, the
High Representative in May 2011 had asked the EDA to make
proposals for concrete cooperation through pooling and sharing. The aim is to act in a pragmatic way in order to maintain
and improve European defence capabilities against the backdrop of cuts in defence budgets. The EU has to do more with
less, ensuring that armed forces are properly equipped and
well trained. Through pooling and sharing, Member States
can acquire collectively capabilities that are out of their reach
individually. These capabilities are critical to CSDP operations, and to the EU’s independence regarding third parties.
Enfin, le Conseil a encouragé la Haute Représentante à faire
des propositions pour améliorer les procédures de gestion
des crises, et pour renforcer la coopération de l’UE avec l’ONU
et l’OTAN en la matière. Le Conseil a prévu d’examiner les
progrès réalisés dans le cadre de la PSDC avant fin juin 2012.
The approved projects cover a wide range of areas, including helicopter training, field hospitals, air to air refueling, satellite communications, maritime surveillance, etc. This marks a new phase
of the CSDP in the field of capabilities: a move from ambition to
concrete action, while making sure that this progress and NATO’s
‘Smart Defence’ initiative are complementary and mutually reinforcing. The EDA will now take the work forward and make
new proposals, and some projects could start as early as 2012.
Communiqué de Presse / Press Release
Read the Factsheet on Pooling and Sharing on EDA’s website.
European Union Military Committee met at
Chiefs of Defence level
Stone laying ceremony for Afghan police staff
college
The European Union Military Committee met in Brussels on 22 November at the level of Chiefs of Defence under the chairmanship of General Håkan Syrén. The agenda
covered a broad range of CSDP issues, from operations
to capability development, and had specific emphasis
on the EU’s Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa.
More
Head of EUMM Georgia in Moscow
From 23-25 November, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission
(EUMM) Georgia, Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, visited Moscow for
meetings with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian
Federation, Mr Grigory Karasin and representatives of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Border Service and the Ministry of Defence.
The visit was an opportunity for the Head of EUMM to raise a
number of issues relating to the work of EUMM and the situation
on the ground, in particular freedom of movement across and
adjacent to the administrative boundary lines at the breakaway
regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; the functioning of
the telephone hotline established to support the Incident
Prevention and Response Mechanism between the parties;
and issues related to military transparency in the region.
The role and work of EUMM were generally praised and the
relevant participants said that consideration would be given to
the issues raised by EUMM.
On
26
November,
the
commencement
of
the
construction process for a
permanent staff college facility
for the Afghan Ministry of Interior
was marked by a cornerstone.
This project reflects the EU’s
long-term commitment to the
reconstruction and stabilisation of Afghanistan.
The EU police mission EUPOL Afghanistan has already trained
more than 1,300 students of the Afghan National Police (ANP)
at the temporary police staff college.
The new police staff college with a capacity for 300 students
will be established for the delivery of further training and
education to advance the professionalisation of the ANP, in
co-ordination with the Afghan authorities and international
partners.
Focus will be put on strengthening the civilian part of the
ANP and supporting the wider rule of law sector with special
emphasis on combating violence against women.
EUPM BiH - EUFOR Althea
EUTM Somalia trainees prepare as infantry companies
Le 1er décembre le Conseil a prorogé la mission de police
de l’Union européenne en Bosnie-Herzégovine de six mois,
jusqu’au 30 juin 2012. Dans le même temps, il a transféré
certaines tâches de la mission au représentant spécial de
l’Union européenne pour la Bosnie-Herzégovine.
On 21 November, the EU military training Mission (EUTM)
for Somalia started the course
session for the third Somali
intake of trainees in Bihanga
Training Camp, in Uganda.
Le 6 décembre, le commandement de l’opération EUFOR
Althea a été formellement transféré du Major-général
Bernhard Bair au Major-général Robert Brieger. Ce dernier
occupait précédemment les fonctions de Directeur des besoins
opérationnels et Directeur général adjoint des opérations au
Ministère autrichien de la Défense.
366
the
and
and
The 619 trainees have newly
arrived
from
Mogadishu.
of them will undergo basic recruit training under
leadership of the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces,
the remaining 253 will benefit from command
control training under the leadership of EUTM.
Upcoming activities
9 December – Catherine Ashton participates in the European
Council
15 December - EU-Russia Summit
More
CSDP Newsletter - issue 11 - special issue - ESDP@10
EU Security and Defence on YouTube
www.esdp10years.eu
EU CSDP agencies
European External Action Service - eeas.europa.eu - Tel: +32 (0)2 281 7367 - [email protected]
TV Newsroom - www.consilium.europa.eu/csdp - www.consilium.europa.eu/psdc
Les avis exprimés ne peuvent en aucun cas être considérés comme une position officielle du Service européen pour l’action extérieure.
The views expressed are not to be taken in any way to represent the official position of the European External Action Service.