EU Defense Ministers meet to discuss Strategic Compass draft

Europe, News November 17, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

BRUSSELS – On November 16, European Union foreign affairs and defense ministers held a joint session to discuss the first draft of the EU Strategic Compass and political-strategic future.

EU ministers held extensive talks on “EU approach to security and defense in the next 5 to 10 years, and step up the EU’s role as global security provider,” according to the Council of the EU statement.

The “Strategic Compass” draft plan also considered the options for the European nations to form a joint military force of up to 5,000 troops by 2025 to support EU missions and intervene in case a crisis emerges. “We need to be able to respond to imminent threats or quickly react to a crisis situation, for example a rescue and evacuation mission or a stabilisation operation in a hostile environment,” the Strategic Compass draft read.

“Building on a comprehensive threat analysis, the Strategic Compass sets out concrete measures and related timelines for action, covering a wide spectrum of instances ranging from the Common Security and Defence Policy, to cyber and hybrid threats, disinformation, capability development and partnerships,” the statement read.

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said: “Concretely, the Compass outlines why we need a stronger Union, ready to be capable to protect citizens, values and interests of the Europeans. It will enhance the EU’s strategic responsibility or autonomy, and our ability to work with partners to safeguard our values and interests.”

Josep Borrell said the “Strategic Compass” was based on the keywords of “act, secure, invest, and partner.”

According to the statement, the EU ministers “expressed their willingness to work on it with a view to the adoption of the final Compass in March 2022.”

The EU Defense Ministers agreed to strengthen European Defense Agency’s role in promoting defense innovation and including disruptive technologies. The Ministers also discussed the possibilities of establishing a Defence Innovation Hub within the Agency.

The Ministers also set the European Defense Agency’s 2022 general budget at €38 million ($42.8 million). According to the statement, “The budget reflects the continuous high demands on the Agency to support Member States in the development of defence capabilities as well as the implementation of EU defence initiatives such as CARD, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF).”

During the session, the council members also exchanged views on the “four EU Training Missions in Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Mozambique,” and held discussions on improving the effectiveness of those missions.

The EU Defense Ministers also signed two ‘Technical Arrangements on Cross-Border Movement Permission’ to enhance Military Mobility in Europe. European Defense Agency Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said, “With today’s signing of the two technical arrangements, a huge step forward has been made to improve Military Mobility in Europe.”

On the sidelines of the meeting, the EU Defense Ministers also met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss ongoing security challenges in Belarus and Ukraine and exchanged views on expanding EU-NATO cooperation.

According to the NATO statement, Stoltenberg highlighted the urgency to strengthen the NATO-EU partnership and discussed ways to expand cooperation by including “new areas of cooperation in the future, such as resilience, emerging and disruptive technologies, and the security impact of climate change.”