Plans underway for EU military cell

EU defence ministers gather on Monday in Brussels for two days of informal talks on the creation of a landmark EU military planning cell.

Discussions are also expected to centre on plans mooted by France, Germany and the UK to establish rapid reaction ‘battle groups’, and the EU’s takeover of NATO peacekeeping duties in Bosnia may be raised.

The EU’s first military planning agency, which provides for unprecedented cooperation between member states on defence policy, raised concerns in Washington when it was agreed by Europe’s leaders in December.

But EU leaders have stressed that its scope will be limited and that its duties are not aimed to rival NATO competencies.

The unit will be made up of military officers based with the EU’s existing military staff in Brussels and it will be responsible for planning and coordinating operations where NATO is not involved.

The ministers will also turn their attention to an Anglo-French-German plan, penned in February, to create a rapid reaction force for combat in jungle, desert and mountain operations.

The so-called ‘battle groups’ are to be based on experience gained by the EU contingent that was sent to stem ethnic violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year.

The French-led mission was the first ever EU peacekeeping force to be deployed outside Europe and was widely hailed as a success.

According to original plans, the new battle groups would be made up of around 1,500 troops, capable of being deployed within 15 days, and able to remain on a mission for up to 30 days with the possibility of extending this to three months.

Other countries are expected to be invited to join the initiative which should be finalised by June.

The ministers will also cover the war in Iraq, the recent inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo and defence matters related to terrorism.

 

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