Romania in five European defense projects

EU Foreign Affairs Council has adopted in Brussels, on 6 March 2018, a roadmap for implementation of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the field of defense and security.

Romania is among the 25 participating Member States in this initiative (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden).

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, announced that she proposed the Member States the creation of the so-called European Peace Facility - a financing instrument for the military. Other topics on the Foreign Affairs Council’s Agenda were military mobility, the Coordinated Annual Review on Defense (CARD) and the European Defense Fund (EDF).

Initial list of 17 collaborative projects within PESCO

The roadmap for the implementation of the PESCO includes deadlines for assessing the state of implementation of national plans for commitments and deadlines for new joint projects. The document also provides for a set of administrative rules to be adopted at the Council meeting in late June.

Council also adopted a decision formally establishing the initial list of 17 collaborative projects, which were agreed politically in December 2017. The projects cover areas such as training, capability development and operational readiness in the field of defense. Romania has pledged to participate in 5 of the 17 projects selected at this stage.

Romanians in training missions in Africa

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, announced that there is a need for more staff for the European Union's training missions, both in Brussels and on the field. European high-ranking official said several Member States have announced they are willing to send people to these missions. Romania was represented at the meeting by State Secretary Mircea Dușa, who reaffirmed Romania's commitment to actively participate in the six missions and operations of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), including in the training missions conducted on the African continent.

European Peace Facility

Federica Mogherini also announced that the EU Member States have positively received the idea of setting up a new instrument called the European Peace Facility, which will be different from the current Stability Pact:

"It would be a facility that would provide us with the capacity to finance not only the building of capabilities but also of military equipment, to provide assistance to the armed forces of the EU's partners, and it will also make it easier to provide support for peacekeeping operations performed by our partners, all over the world. For now we are doing this through the African Peace Facility, but it is strictly for this geographic space and decisions are being taken together with the African Union. The European Peace Facility will be similar, but for a wider area, it will not be limited to a specific geographical area and the European Union will be the one to decide where and when to provide support to its partners. It could also be extended to cover military missions of the EU", said High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

No money from the EU budget

As there are currently intense debates about the future of the European post-2020 multiannual budget, Federica Mogherini has proposed predictable and flexible funding for the European Peace Facility, but not from the common budget. As for NATO-EU partnership, Federica Mogherini explained that it is a natural partnership, and that NATO has lots to win if the EU strengthens its defense.

"We have communicated to NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller the developments within the Permanent Structured Co-operation, made with special care so that we do not to overlap our efforts but fill the gaps. Especially with regard to military capabilities, we are working through EU instruments so that the EU Member States, most of which are also NATO members, can improve the way they invest and can produce capabilities that are at the EU but also at NATO disposal. Of course, there may be an element on the participation of third countries, such as within the Structured Permanent Cooperation, but this is a decision that the participating countries will take in the coming months. It is clear, though, that the approach concerns third countries with which the Union has had strategic and long-term cooperation", said High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

Europe says no to protectionism

Federica Mogherini has ruled out any intention of Europeans to apply a form of protectionism in the field of military industry and explained that the European Union has work to do in reference to results, because for example, Europeans invest 50% out of the how much the Americans do, but the result is only 15 %. In other words, Federica Mogherini said, we are increasing defense spending for nothing if we do it in unproductive matters, so it's not about how much we invest, but how much money we get out of what we have invested, and this is what the EU must do, to ensure that the Member States have at their disposal tools to increase their efficiency in the field.

x x x

PESCO is a Treaty-based framework and process to deepen defense cooperation amongst EU Member States who are capable and willing to do so. The aim is to jointly develop defense capabilities and make them available for EU military operations. This will thus enhance the EU’s capacity as an international security partner, contribute to the protection of EU citizens and maximise the effectiveness of defense spending.

The difference between PESCO and other forms of cooperation is the binding nature of the commitments undertaken by participating Member States. However, participation remains voluntary, decision-making will remain in the hands of participating Member States and the specific character of the security and defense policy of all Member States is taken into account.

Source:RRA,Council of the European Union. Translated by Miruna Matei