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Remarks by EUHR Solana at Ministers of Defence Meeting

Summary of Remarks by Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, at the Ministers of Defence Meeting, Brussels

Overview of military capabilities

Je me réjouis du solide résultat obtenu dans l'identification du besoin militaire pour la conduite de nos opérations, en ligne avec l'approche qualitative de l'objectif global 2010. Cependant, des lacunes continuent à exister. Il faut que les nouveaux outils que nous développons nous servent à combler effectivement ces lacunes. Il nous appartiendra de donner toute l'attention et l'impulsion politique à ce processus.

En ce qui concerne les groupements tactiques, les travaux conceptuels ont progressé. Lors de la conférence de coordination du 9 novembre, nous avons pu confirmer les offres indicatives pour les périodes à venir ainsi que les engagements de principe couvrant également nos besoins jusqu'en 2009. Le dernier créneau pour 2007 a été couvert et j'en remercie la Grèce, la Bulgarie, la Roumanie et Chypre. Enfin, au-delà de 2009 certaines indications initiales ont été données. Dans l'ensemble, nous avons des engagements fermes pour 18 groupements tactiques.

La vision militaire à long terme est un sujet auquel j'attache une grande importance. C'est une suite naturelle à la Stratégie européenne de sécurité qui lui donne son cadrage. Je vais donc suivre ces travaux avec beaucoup d'attention et je note avec plaisir que tous les acteurs compétents sont impliqués dans cet exercice complexe et essentiel à un développement de capacités adaptés aux besoins de demain.

Comprehensive Planning

A comprehensive approach in crisis management is a necessity - all the more so in the dynamic security environment in which we live, where threats are diffuse and complex and defy traditional ways of operating. More than other actors, the EU has the ability to bridge the world of diplomats, soldiers and development experts.

We have been developing a coherent and comprehensive EU approach to crises, more through the conduct of actual operations than by conceptual drafting. Effective action requires a range of civilian and military tools to address both the causes and consequences of a crisis. It also requires that these instruments are employed coherently in pursuit of a clear political objective. clearly, a unity of purpose and effort is required by all EU actors to ensure that this is the case.

We have to think about our structures and whether they satisfy the requirement for being truly comprehensive and offer the best response to our new challenges. The Heads of state and government mandated me in Hampton Court to study possible improvements. I will come back with proposals.

Security Sector Reform (SSR)

Security Sector Reform is a growing necessity and activity worldwide. The EU is already involved in supporting SSR through different activities. Of course, many Member States are also involved in bilateral SSR activities.

Support to SSR may be provided directly as through the EUSEC mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This relatively small mission has garnered achievements that are well in excess of its size. It is involved in providing strategic as well as practical advice and assistance, mainly to the Congolese Defence Ministry and army, with the main objective of contributing to a successful integration of the Congolese army.

I appreciate that Member States have already given significant support but I urge you to continue to engage with our very important mission in DRC and, further, to consider identifying and providing experts in SSR and DDR (disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration) and the other financial and material resources that will be required in future.

Military Operations

• Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
  
  I would like to present the main recommendations I have made in the Second Mission Review Report on Operation ALTHEA, namely:
  • EUFOR should retain its current tasks for the coming six months and the force levels should not be reduced until the outcome of the elections in BiH in October 2006 can be taken into account.
    
    
  • To strengthen EU support to the rule of law in BiH and to achieve a greater effect of the support to the fight against organised crime, the EU Special Representative (EUSR), EUFOR and EUPM will deepen their cooperation. The revised mandate of the EUSR, a more pro-active mandate of the EUPM follow-on mission as well as appropriate structures and resources for this mission will allow EUFOR to hand over to the EUPM its operational coordinating role and its task to assist the local law enforcement agencies in operational planning. The transfer of responsibilities will be a gradual process, as EUPM's capabilities are building up. EUFOR will remain engaged providing support when requested by EU actors and BiH authorities. Results of increased co-operation between EUFOR and EUPM can already be seen on the ground.
    
    
  • The Operation Commander will conduct pre-planning in order to enable a potential swift adjustment of EUFOR to the situation on the ground after the October 2006 elections.
  
  
  Based on the above, I would like to thank Member States for their support to the EU Military Operation in BiH and to urge the need for continued backing. We must keep EUFOR's operational capacity well in sight. I invite all Member States to consider further military or civilian contributions and extend my thanks to Bulgaria for its decision to deploy a manoeuvre company for next year.

Taking the opportunity to brief you on the latest Council decisions regarding BiH, I am pleased to note that this morning the Council welcomed process made by Bosnia and Herzegovina and authorised the Commission to open negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

Symbolically, the launching of these negotiations coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The Council has also agreed to strengthen the EUSR's role in co-ordinating all EU instruments in BiH, in particular in the area of rule of law. The Council will soon take a decision on the successor to the current EUSR, Lord Ashdown.

The Council has agreed to establish a follow-on mission to EUPM with a mandate refocused on supporting the fight against organised crime in a more proactive way and on implementation of police reform.

• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
  
  I touched earlier on the successful initial steps of EUSEC in DRC. Since it was launched last spring, this relatively small team of 8 advisors has achieved tangible results on the ground and is widely commended by the international community which is present in DRC for contributing to the success of the transition process.
  
  As you must be aware, in line with its mandate, EUSEC RD CONGO has identified the renovation of the chain of payment of the Ministry of Defence as a central issue requiring urgent attention. As we have seen, the EU has really made a difference even with limited human resources. Let us keep up our support.

• Sudan
  
  The last month and a half have seen no abatement in violence. During this period, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has suffered its first combat casualties. There have been attacks on a camp for internally displaced persons and also across the border in Chad.
  
  Clearly, there is no military solution to the problem in Darfur. Meanwhile, the absence of a political process is highly detrimental. We need to exert a concerted effort to re-invigorate the political process, primarily through the EUSR.
  
  More specifically on AMIS, the Mission has a crucial role to play in maintaining a sufficiently secure environment without which, it is unlikely that there will be a political solution in Darfur.
  
  We are building a strategic partnership with the African Union (AU). Hence, it is our responsibility to deliver on our commitments to provide personnel, equipment and financial support. I would like to thank those Member States who have contributed and welcome the key role played by the Peace Facility. All this support is proving very valuable and we will continue to depend on you to provide experts for some time to come. We stand ready to enhance our overall capacity-building effort in the context of our longer-term strategic partnership and to answer positively to the request of the AU on strategic airlift.
  
  The AU is responsible for addressing some aspects of AMIS's capability in particular some of the Command and Control issues that they themselves have identified during the Joint Assessment mission of March this year.

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• Hampton Court Consolidated Papers (14/12/2005)
• Key findings of 2005 Progress Reports on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo (9/11/2005)
• EU Presidency Statement - Financing of UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) (1/11/2005)
• Conclusions of EU External Relations Council - 2005 ESDP conclusions (23/5/2005)
• La coopération entre l'UE et la République Démocratique du Congo (2/5/2005)