Common security and defense policy

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EUFOR emblem
The former three pillars of the European Union

The Common Security and Defense Policy ( CSDP ; English Common Security and Defense Policy , CSDP , French Politique commune de sécurité et de défense , PCSD ) is a policy area of the European Union . It is part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), but partly follows special rules and also has some institutions of its own.

The CSDP was introduced with the Treaty of Nice 2001 under the name European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP; French Politique européenne de sécurité et de défense , PESD ) and was given its current name with the Treaty of Lisbon 2007. The most important actors of the CSDP are national governments of the EU member states in the European Council , which must unanimously take all important decisions in this policy area. The European Commission and the European Parliament , on the other hand, have hardly any say.

history

Beginnings of military cooperation

The roots of European security and defense policy can be seen on the one hand in the military threat posed by the Soviet Union to the states of Western Europe after the Second World War , and on the other hand in the interests of Germany's (western) neighboring states in militarily integrating the Federal Republic in order to give Germany a supremacy in Europe prevent.

On the initiative of the French Prime Minister René Pleven , the Treaty on the European Defense Community (EDC) between France , Germany, the Benelux countries and Italy was drawn up in 1950–52 . It was supposed to be a parallel construction to the ECSC and had a comparable institutional framework. The operational core was a " European Army " under the umbrella of NATO . The EDC ultimately failed because the French parliament refused to ratify it .

Petersberg near Bonn

Instead, the Western European Union (WEU) was founded in 1954 on the basis of the Brussels Pact originally directed against Germany , which also included Great Britain in addition to the six ECSC states . It is a system of collective security in Europe, which at the same time provided for arms limitations for the partner states, especially Germany. In view of the paramount importance of NATO, however, the weight of the WEU has always remained limited. In 1992 she took on the so-called Petersberg tasks (humanitarian tasks and rescue operations, peacekeeping tasks and combat missions in crisis management, including peacemaking measures).

Since the 1980s, a common defense policy has also been developed between the EC core states France and Germany. It led to the establishment of a Franco-German brigade , from which the Eurocorps emerged in 1992, including other countries .

The European security and defense policy

EU and NATO memberships

With the Maastricht Treaty finally the "security policy" the jurisdiction of the newly established EU was assigned in 1992 explicitly - the albeit only under intergovernmental dominated the second column . The EU worked closely with the WEU and has now also taken on its Petersberg tasks. Unlike WEU and NATO, however, the EU was not initially a military alliance . H. even in the event of an attack, the member states would not have been obliged to provide mutual assistance. This should address the concerns of the neutral EU Member States such as Ireland , Austria , Sweden and Finland .

In the Yugoslav Wars in particular in the 1990s, the EU's limited ability to act became evident. It was lamented that she was an economic giant and a foreign policy and military dwarf who was dependent on the support of American NATO soldiers in his own "backyard". Against this background, the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam finally decided to expand it into a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). An important step was the change of course in British policy, which at the Franco-British summit in Saint-Malo in 1998 gave up its reservations about a European defense component not integrated into NATO. In the years that followed , the ESDP was further expanded under the direction of the newly appointed High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy , former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana .

There were significant changes at the EU summits in Cologne and Helsinki (both 1999), Feira (2000) and Göteborg and Laeken (both 2001): Here it was decided to be able to fulfill the Petersberg tasks with a separate defense component, and in particular certain contingents to be made available by soldiers, police officers and other personnel. In addition, the participation of non-EU countries was regulated and four ad hoc working groups were set up to regulate relations between the EU and NATO.

However, the Iraq crisis in 2003 once again demonstrated the EU's disagreement. At the so-called Pralinengipfel on April 29, 2003, the heads of state and government of Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg proposed the establishment of a European Security and Defense Union , which in particular provided for the idea of ​​a mutual assistance pact and arms policy coordination. This proposal initially met with a largely negative response, but it provided an important impetus for the further development of the ESDP.

At the summits in Thessaloniki and Brussels in 2003, a European security strategy was developed which led to the establishment of the European Security and Defense College , a joint training center for the EU member states. In addition, in 2003 there was a first police mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina , a first EU military mission with recourse to NATO structures in Macedonia and the first autonomous mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Operation Artemis ).

This “ European Union Global Strategy ” ( EUGS) is being continued, the claim to be “globally” effective is not exactly welcomed worldwide. As the last major activity, EUGS claims it started PESCO .

Lisbon Treaty

  • Member country of the CSDP
  • Member country not participating in the CSDP

    • With the Treaty of Lisbon , which came into force in 2009, the ESDP was renamed the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). It included several reforms, including better coordination of arms policy and a mutual assistance clause ( Article 42, Paragraph 7 of the EU Treaty), to which the neutral states have now also consented.

    The then President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering presented a concept for an ever closer synchronization of the European armed forces under the name Synchronized Armed Forces Europe (SAFE) at the Berlin Security Conference in November 2008 .

    Legal bases

    According to Art. 42 Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2 of the EU Treaty , the CSDP encompasses all issues relating to the security of the European Union, as well as the gradual definition of a common defense policy. If the European Council decides to do so, the latter can also lead to a joint defense. According to Article 42, Paragraph 2 of the EU Treaty, the CSDP does not affect the specific nature of the defense policies of individual member states, especially those that are also members of NATO or have committed themselves to political neutrality.

    The CSDP is subject to the legal framework of the common foreign and security policy regulated in Articles 23 to 41 of the EU Treaty , of which it is part, as well as the special provisions of Articles 42 to 46 of the EU Treaty. However, there are some special features:

    • Council resolutions with military or defense implications are, without exception, passed unanimously in accordance with Article 31, Paragraph 4 of the EU Treaty .
    • According to Article 41, Paragraph 2 of the EU Treaty, operational expenditure in connection with measures with military or defense implications is not borne by the budget of the European Union, but by the member states

    In the context of Art. 42 Paragraph 7, in the event of an armed attack on the territory of a Member State, the other Member States can be asked for support. The other member states then owe the attacked member state all the help and support in their power in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations . This was used for the first time by France after the terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 in Paris and also granted by the other member states.

    actors

    As in the CFSP, the European Council and the Council of the European Union take all important decisions in the CSDP , with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (colloquially also known as EU Foreign Minister ) and the European External Action Service subordinate to him is fully involved in the CSVP. The Commission and the European Parliament only have consultation and information rights. The responsible committee of the European Parliament is the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy . CSDP measures are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union .

    In the CSDP, the Political and Security Committee (PSC) , which is usually made up of the ambassadors of the member states, is of particular importance . It replaces the Political Committee , which in the past met at the political director level. The PSK follows the developments in world affairs that are important for the CFSP, develops new strategies and monitors their implementation. Under the supervision of the Council , the PSC ensures political control and strategic direction of crisis management actions.

    There are also a few other institutions that exclusively perform the tasks of the CSDP:

    • The EU Military Committee (EUMC) consists of the Chiefs of Staff , represented by their military representatives, who mostly represent their country in personal union at the EU and NATO . The Military Committee is the highest military body and advises the PSK on military issues. He maintains relationships with other international organizations and countries outside of the EU and NATO. He is also responsible for the military direction of operations and leads the military staff militarily. The chairman attends meetings of the PSC, the NATO Military Committee and the Council - in the latter case when a military issue is on the agenda.
    • The EU Military Staff (EUMS) is part of the European External Action Service. His tasks include early warning, situation assessment and strategic planning with regard to the Petersberg tasks . These were originally defined for the Western European Union and later transferred to the EU. In the event of a crisis, the staff should determine, record and set up the multinational armed forces, usually in coordination with NATO. The EUMS determines the "how" and "whether" is at the political level.
    • The Committee on Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management develops the EU's civilian headline goals and is responsible for their implementation. He gives recommendations and statements to the PSK and other council bodies. In addition, since 2001 there has been a police unit in the General Secretariat of the Council for the planning and implementation of EU police missions.
    • The EU civil / military cell is set up in the EUMS. Normally, NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) or a national headquarters will be used. For this purpose, an EU planning cell will be set up in SHAPE and NATO will be invited to make liaison agreements with the EUMS. In addition, a planning cell is to be set up in the EUMS, which can be used if necessary. It will support the EU member states in crisis detection and in civilian operations that combine civil and military components and plan accordingly. In addition, she will support the national headquarters. But it can also replace the SHAPE or a national headquarters, especially if civil or military operations are pending or no national headquarters can be found.
    • Product of European armaments cooperation: The Tiger Eurocopter
      The European Defense Agency was created by a Council decision of June 12, 2004. Its task is to support the member states and coordinate their cooperation in the fields of military research, arms planning and procurement. This is intended to create synergies and a. can be achieved in the form of cost savings.
    • The European Union Satellite Center (EUSC) in Torrejón (near Madrid, Spain) observes the earth and creates satellite images and maps, especially in the service of the CSDP. The EUSC therefore plays an important role, especially in conflict prevention and monitoring ( on the subject of space weapons ).
    • The European Union Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Paris prepares studies that are the basis for negotiations and decisions in the ESDP.

    Instruments

    The CSDP has the same set of instruments as the CFSP. On the basis of the guidelines and strategies of the European Council, the Council decides on the Union's positions on foreign, security and defense issues and on the implementation of actions, for example in the form of military missions.

    Military skills in the CSDP

    Like NATO, the EU does not have its own soldiers or a European army . Instead, the EU relies on the armed forces of the member states, which decide autonomously on the provision in individual cases. In Germany this requires the constitutive approval of the German Bundestag .

    In order to become active within the EU, the European Councils in Cologne and Helsinki in 1999 agreed to improve the EU's military capabilities. As part of the European Headline Goal , the EU intended to be able to provide 50,000–60,000 soldiers for the entire range of Petersberg tasks as a rapid EU reaction force within 60 days for a period of up to one year . This is primarily about peacekeeping operations such as the mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina by EUFOR Althea (see below). According to the Council's own assessment, the original goal of comprehensive operational capability by 2003 was not achieved. As a result, a further improvement in military capabilities was agreed in the first half of 2004 as part of the 2010 Headline Goal , which is currently being implemented.

    In 2004, the Council decided to set up the so-called EU Battlegroups as a step to quickly improve operational capability . These highly flexible units with a strength of around 1,500 soldiers can be deployed for crisis management within 10–15 days within a radius of 6,000 km from Brussels for a period of up to four months . The first associations were available in 2005, and full operational capability was achieved in 2007. Since then, 2 of these generally multinational associations have been available for 6 months each.

    All of the obligations in the context of improving military capabilities are not legally binding requirements, but autonomous - politically binding - obligations of the Member States.

    In the case of EU military operations, the political control and strategic direction of the mission lies with the Council and the PSC . In the intermediate stage, the EU has its own planning and implementation capacities to a limited extent, if necessary with recourse to funds from the member states. In the case of more comprehensive operations such as EUFOR Althea (see below), the EU can also fall back on NATO resources based on the Berlin Plus agreement .

    Existing military operations and civilian missions of the EU under the ESDP or CSDP

    General François Lecointre , Commander of the EUTM Mali in conversation with soldiers.
    The Italian frigate ITS Maestrale is part of Operation Atalanta in 2015/2016

    Ongoing military operations

    Ongoing civil missions

    Completed military operations and civilian missions of the EU under the ESDP or CSDP

    Completed military operations

    • Operation Artemis - Crisis Intervention in the DR Congo (ended September 1, 2003)
    • Concordia - EU Military Operation in Macedonia (March 31, 2003 to December 15, 2003)
    • EUFOR RD Congo - European military operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ended November 30, 2006)
    • Support for the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) (July 2005 to December 31, 2007)
    • EUFOR Tchad / RCA - Military Mission in Chad in Support of United Nations Humanitarian Activities (March 2008 to March 2009)
    • EUFOR Libya - Military Mission in Support of Humanitarian Activities in Libya (April 2011 to November 2011)
    • EUFOR RCA - Military Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic from February 2014 to March 2015
    • EUMAM RCA - Military Advisory Mission to the Central African Republic (March 2015 to July 2016)

    Completed civil missions

    Relationship with the USA

    Cooperation with the USA is guaranteed, among other things, within the framework of NATO: “The development of the ESDP is primarily politically motivated and has its origins in the conflicts over the former Yugoslavia [..]. However, since these crisis reaction forces will for the time being dependent on structures and facilities of NATO, the USA will continue to have the option of consenting to a deployment or not. But the USA will not be able to prevent European independence and independence in the long term and probably will not want to either, because a better partner Europe relieves the USA and thus strengthens the alliance. [..] It is by no means about setting up a replacement for NATO and a European army is not planned for the moment. "

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg , EU Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker signed a "Declaration on Mutual Cooperation" in Brussels on July 10, 2018, one day before the official meeting of the North Atlantic Council . The EU and NATO had already agreed to work together at the summit of all NATO heads of state and government in Warsaw in July 2016. In 2016 it included e.g. B. a coordinated approach in the refugee crisis and against cyber attacks, which are directed against an important infrastructure such as energy networks or the banking system.

    This cooperation was confirmed in 2018. Priority was given to “rapid and verifiable progress” in “military mobility”, e.g. B. through roads and bridges, for quick troop transfer. The fight against terrorism, stronger defense against NBC weapons and the advancement of women are named as further main goals .

    In December 2017, the EU member states decided on stronger joint armed cooperation called Pesco . Initially, 17 military projects were resolved, some of which also relate to armaments cooperation. The Trump administration , on the other hand, expressed concern that these EU plans would weaken NATO and limit US companies' access to the European arms market. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis responded in February 2018 with the demand “to include in EU documents in writing that common defense is a NATO task, and exclusively a NATO task.” The EU replied that this was already happening in the EU Contracts.

    The joint NATO-EU declaration of July 2018 states: "NATO will continue to play its unique and essential role as the cornerstone of collective defense for all Allies."

    See also

    literature

    • Franco Algieri: The Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU. UTB, July 21, 2010, ISBN 3-825-23130-5 .
    • Giovanni Arcudi & Michael E. Smith: The European Gendarmerie Force: a solution in search of problems ?, European Security , 22 (1): pp. 1–20 (2013) doi : 10.1080 / 09662839.2012.747511 .
    • Annegret Bendiek: Defend Europe. The common foreign and security policy of the European Union . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2018. ISBN 978-3-17-034845-5 .
    • Sascha Dietrich: The legal basis of the defense policy of the European Union . In: Journal for Foreign Public Law and International Law (ZaöRV), Vol. 66, 2006, pp. 663–697.
    • Teresa Eder: What powers does the European Gendarmerie Force have ?, Der Standard , February 5, 2014.
    • Hans-Georg Ehrhart (ed.): The European security and defense policy. Positions, perceptions, problems, perspectives (democracy, security, peace, 142) . Nomos, Baden-Baden 2002.
    • Hans-Georg Ehrhart, Burkard Schmitt (ed.): The security policy of the EU in becoming. Threats, Activities, Skills. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2004.
    • Günter CF Forsteneichner: European security and defense policy, isp information on security policy. Report special issue I. Bonn 2004.
    • Jolyon Howorth: Security and Defense Policy in the European Union . Palgrave 2007.
    • Werner Hoyer, Gerd F. Kaldrack (Hrsg.): European security and defense policy (ESDP). The way to integrated European armed forces? (Inner Leadership Forum). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2002.
    • Mathias Jopp: European security and defense policy. In: Werner Weidenfeld, Wolfgang Wessels (Hrsg.): Europa von A bis Z. Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-8329-1378-5 , p. 176ff.
    • Markus Kaim: The European Security and Defense Policy. Preference-building and negotiation processes in the European Union (1990-2005). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2007.
    • Carsten Kestermann: The ESDP as a competitor to NATO? Developments, analyzes and strategic prospects for a European defense dimension . Diploma thesis, University of Potsdam 2006 ( full text ).
    • Sebastian Graf von Kielmansegg : The defense policy competencies of the European Union . In: Europarecht (EuR) , 41st vol., H. 2, 2006, ISSN  0531-2485 , pp. 182-200.
    • Armin Kockel: The mutual assistance clause in the Lisbon Treaty (European University Theses series). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-631-62237-7 .
    • Andreas Marchetti: The European Security and Defense Policy. Policy formulation in the relationship triangle Germany - France - Great Britain. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2009.
    • Gisela Müller-Brandeck-Bocquet (Ed.): European foreign policy. CFSP and ESDP concepts from selected EU member states (Würzburg University publications on history and politics, 3). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2002.
    • Gisela Müller-Brandeck-Bocquet (Ed.): The Future of the European Foreign, Security and Defense Policy after Enlargement (Würzburger Universitätsschriften zu Geschichte und Politik, 9). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2006.
    • Erich Reiter, Reinhardt Rummel, Peter Schmidt (Hrsg.): Europe's distant armed force. Chances and difficulties of the European Union in the development of the ESDP (research on security policy, 6). Mittler, Hamburg 2002.
    • Carolin Rüger: European foreign and security policy - (not) an issue for the public? The role of the EU in foreign and security policy from the point of view of public opinion and the media . Baden-Baden 2012, ISBN 978-3-8487-0041-7 .
    • Philippe de Shoutheete: La cohérence par la defense. Une autre lecture de la PESD (Chaillot Papers, 71). Paris 2004.
    • Alexander Siedschlag (Ed.): Yearbook for European Security Policy . Nomos, Baden-Baden 2006ff.
    • Michael Staack, Dan Krause 2014 (Ed.): Europe as a security actor. Budrich, Leverkusen 2013.
    • Karl von Wogau (ed.): On the way to European defense. We are safe together. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2003.

    Web links

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Thomas Roithner, Austria. Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Vienna
    2. ^ Christoph Marischka: Maneuvers on the Congo. Militarization Information Center, June 11, 2005, accessed December 9, 2015 .
    3. ↑ Implementing the EU Global Strategy - Year 2 , News, last update November 14, 2018
    4. ↑ Institute for Security Studies of the European Union (EUISS) About us ( Memento from July 16, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
    5. ↑ a b Military and civilian missions and operations eeas , EEAS online, accessed June 25, 2015
    6. ↑ EUBAM website (2006)
    7. ↑ a b Anja Hanisch and Tobias Pietz: Africa in Focus: Three new civilian CSDP missions. ( pdf file; 192 kB) Center for International Peace Operations , August 9, 2012, accessed on October 3, 2012 (German).
    8. ↑ EU military mission to contribute to the training of the Somali Security Forces (PDF file; 77 kB), on the website of the Council of the European Union, accessed on May 27, 2010.
    9. ^ S. Frik: Is the Swiss security policy suitable for Europe? Rüegger, Chur 2002 ISBN 3-7253-0727-X
    10. ↑ PESCO First Steps towards the Defense Union , at www.bundesregierung.de, December 2017
    11. ↑ USA calls for EU commitment to NATO , Die Zeit , February 15, 2018