European Union

Let’s not pretend, we all watched the Germany game yesterday, in Berlaymont, in offices, in nearby pubs. At least the shocking end, Mannschaft’s first group stage exit from a World Cup in 70 years, which aroused considerable interest around the globe.

The EDA Steering Board in Capability Directors formation today endorsed the 2018 Capability Development Plan and approved the associated EU Capability Development Priorities as a key reference for Member States’ and EU’s capability development initiatives. The Plan and its Priorities will be instrumental in identifying future cooperative activities irrespective of the chosen cooperation framework, including under PESCO and the European Defence Fund (EDF).

“Since 2016, the European defence project has picked up speed. Based on the 2016 EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, several initiatives have been launched to reinforce defence cooperation: the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the European Defence Fund (EDF). Today’s adopted EU Capability Development Priorities serve as their benchmark to ensure that their combined outcome will be a more coherent set of deployable, interoperable, sustainable capabilities and forces”, says Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

The Capability Development Plan (CDP) provides a full capability picture that supports decision-making processes at EU and national level regarding military capability development, thus contributing to increased coherence between Member States’ defence planning. It addresses security and defence challenges from the perspective of European capability development, looks at the future operational environment and defines EU Capability Development Priorities agreed by Member States.

The revised 2018 CDP has been developed in the framework of the European Defence Agency (EDA) in close cooperation with Member States and reflects key contributions from the EU Military Committee and the EU Military Staff.

The CDP is a shared EU reference informing national capability planners on capability requirements over time. Member States’ defence planners are encouraged to use it to identify priorities for capability improvement and opportunities for cooperation.

 

A more output oriented CDP

One of the novelties of the 2018 CDP is that it considers evolutions in the wider European security and defence environment taking into account the necessity to counter hybrid threats and the adaptation to the new EU Level of Ambition agreed by Member States. The 2018 Plan also looks at the entire spectrum of capability development and underpins the identification of cooperative activities that can be implemented by Member States in the cooperation framework of their choice.

The 2018 CDP is output oriented and this will be further reinforced by the development of Strategic Context Cases as of the second half of 2018, with a view to support Member States in the implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities.

Subsequently the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) will help operationalising the CDP by reviewing Member States’ implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities and by identifying additional opportunities for cooperation.

Finally, the coherence between capability, R&T and industrial domains will be reinforced by the interaction between the CDP, the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda, Key Strategic Activities and the engagement with industry.

 

The CDP Process

The CDP includes a capability shortfalls analysis from the CSDP perspective, as well as lessons learned from recent operations provided by the EU Military Committee. The mid-term dimension assesses the potential for cooperation for each capability. The CDP finally offers an assessment of future trends (2035 and beyond) and needs for each capability by linking long-term technology trends to future capability requirements and related R&T needs as well as industrial perspectives.

 

EU Capability Development Priorities

Based on the identified trends, information gathered from Member States, the EU Military Committee and the EU Military Staff, a set of EU Capability Development Priorities were proposed by EDA and agreed by Member States. On the one hand, they address main capability shortfalls for deployed operations (land, maritime and air capabilities as well as logistic and medical support) with a reinforced focus on high-end warfare. On the other hand, they also cover other national focus areas, such as the adaptation of military capabilities required for territorial defence and security or cyber defence.

The 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities cover the following lines of action:

• Enabling capabilities for cyber responsive operations
• Space-based information and communication services
• Information superiority
• Ground combat capabilities
• Enhanced logistic and medical supporting capabilities
• Naval manoeuvrability
• Underwater control contributing to resilience at sea
• Air superiority
• Air mobility
• Integration of military air capabilities in a changing aviation sector
• Cross-domain capabilities contributing to achieve EU’s level of ambition

After today’s approval, EDA will start the preparatory work for the implementation of the 2018 Priorities, including through the elaboration of Strategic Context Cases. The Agency will also conduct bilateral training sessions with Member States in support of national defence planners as well as with the EU Military Staff, the European External Action Service and other stakeholders upon their request.

 

More information:

• Capability Development Plan Factsheet
• CDP capability trends 2035+

Today, six Member States (Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany and Latvia) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the pooling and sharing of their respective cyber ranges capabilities.  The signing, which took place at the EDA premises, is a first important outcome of EDA’s Cyber Ranges Federation Project launched in May 2017 in which a total of 11 EDA Member States participate. 

Cyber Ranges are key national facilities to develop and evaluate cyber defence capabilities and this MoU opens the way for the six MoU signatories to make their cyber ranges available for shared development activities and joint exercises by using the pooling and sharing arrangements developed through the EDA project. By doing so, the six countries not only bring into the Cyber Ranges Federation Project their cyber ranges assets but also their expertise and best practices in terms of cyber defence exercises and training. The MoU is therefore an important stepping stone on the path to enabling an effective sharing of cyber defence capabilities across the EU, and in line with the objectives of the EU’s Cyber Defence Policy Framework.

The MoU was signed by the Capability Directors of the six countries concerned:  Lt Gen Johann Luif (Austria), Maj Gen Philippe Boucke (Belgium), Ms. Tiina Uudeberg (Estonia), Lt. General Kim Jäämeri (Finland), Maj. Gen. Gerald Funke (Germany) and   Mr. Airis Rikveilis (Latvia). The ceremony was also attended by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.
 

More information: 

• Cyber Ranges: EDA’s First Ever Cyber Defence Pooling & Sharing Project Launched By 11 Member States (EDA News, May 2017)
• Cyber Defence (EDA project page)
• Cyber Defence Factsheet

 

Faced with a united and firm EU, the UK remains unclear on its projects for Brexit. Fundamental questions such as governance or the Northern Irish border are far from resolved. EURACTIV.fr reports.

US president Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet in the Finnish capital Helsinki on 16 July, the White House announced on Thursday. "The two leaders will discuss relations between the United States and Russia and a range of national security issues," the White House said. The meeting will take place just days after the 11-12 July Nato summit in Brussels, and a UK visit on 13th.

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The EU has had a delegation office  in Mali since 1958. The two maintain relations based on political dialogue under the Cotonou Agreement, the Country Strategy Paper and on security and defence matters.

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Everyone was taken by surprise on Tuesday (26 June) when EU ministers agreed to set out a path for opening accession talks with Albania and Macedonia in June 2019. Many were doubtful this would be agreed, at a time when the EU is facing difficult challenges, write Adnan Ćerimagić and Zoran Nechev.

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

Earlier this week, Serbia opened two more chapters in its EU accession talks. It also received another clear message that progress on the rule of law and the normalisation of relations with Kosovo were crucial for the pace of its advance towards membership. EURACTIV.rs reports.

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