The EU does not have a permanent military command structure along the lines of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO)
Allied Command Operations (ACO), although it has been agreed that ACO resources may be used for the conduct of the EU's CSDP missions. The MPCC, established in 2017 and to be strengthened in 2020, does however represent the EU's first step in developing a permanent military headquarters. In parallel, the newly established
European Defence Fund (EDF) marks the first time the
EU budget is used to finance multinational defence projects. The CSDP structure is sometimes referred to as the European Defence Union (EDU), especially in relation to its prospective development as the EU's defence arm.[3][4][5][b]
Decisions relating to the CSDP are proposed by the HR/VP, adopted by the FAC, generally requiring unanimity, and then implemented by the HR/VP.
For each military mission an OHQ is chosen. The EU does not have a permanent military command structure along the lines of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO)
Allied Command Operations (ACO), although it has been agreed that ACO resources may be used for the conduct of the EU's CSDP missions. The
Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), established in 2017 and to be strengthened in 2020, does however represent the EU's first step in developing a permanent operational headquarters (OHQ).
1 In the event of a CSDP Civilian Mission also being in the field, the relations with the
Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) and its Civilian Operation Commander (Civ OpCdr), as well as the subordinate Head of Mission (HoM), are coordinated as shown.
2 Other Component Commanders (CCs) and
service branches which may be established.
3 The MPCC is part of the EUMS and Dir MPCC is double-hatted as DGEUMS. Unless the MPCC is used as Operation Headquarters (OHQ), either a national OHQ offered by member states or the
NATO Command Structure (NCS) would serve this purpose. In the latter instance,
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), rather than Dir MPCC, would serve as Operation Commander (OpCdr).
4 Unless the MPCC is used as Operation Headquarters (OHQ), the MFCdr would be known as a Force Commander (FCdr), and direct a Force Headquarters (FHQ) rather than a MFHQ. Whereas the MFHQ would act both on the operational and tactical level, the FHQ would act purely on the operational level.
5 The political strategic level is not part of the C2 structure per se, but represents the political bodies, with associated support facilities, that determine the missions' general direction. The
Council determines the role of the
High Representative (HR/VP), who serves as
Vice-President of the
European Commission, attends
European Council meetings, chairs the
Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and may chair the
Political and Security Committee (PSC) in times of crisis. The HR/VP proposes and implements CSDP decisions.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, commonly referred to as the High Representative (HR/VP), is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the EU's
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the CSDP. The position is currently held by
Josep Borrell.
Where foreign matters is agreed between
EU member states, the High Representative can speak for the EU in that area, such as negotiating on behalf of the member states.
Beside representing the EU at international fora and co-ordinating the CFSP and the CSDP, the HR/VP is:
The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the
diplomatic service and
foreign and
defence ministry of the EU. The EEAS is led by the HR/VP and seated in Brussels.
The EEAS does not propose or implement policy in its own name, but prepares acts to be adopted by the HR/VP, the
European Commission or the
Council.[8] The EEAS is also in charge of EU diplomatic missions (
delegations)[9] and intelligence and crisis management structures.[10][11][12]
The following EEAS bodies take part in managing the CSDP:
The Security and Defence College (ESDC) is a
virtual institution for strategic level training. The ESDC consists of a
network of various national institutions, such as defence colleges, and the
European Union Institute for Security Studies.[16] The ESDC initiated the European initiative for the exchange of young officers inspired by Erasmus, often referred to as military Erasmus, exchanging between armed forces of future
military officers as well as their teachers and instructors during their initial education[17] and training. Due to the fact that the initiative is implemented by the Member States on a purely voluntary basis, their autonomy with regard to military training is not compromised.
The Politico-Military Group (PMG) carries out preparatory work for the
Political and Security Committee (PSC). It covers the political aspects of EU military and civil-military issues, including concepts, capabilities and operations and missions.[23] The tasks of the PMG include: 1) preparing
Council conclusions and provides recommendations for the
PSC, and monitoring their effective implementation 2) contributing to the development of horizontal policy and facilitating information exchanges. The PMG has a particular responsibility regarding partnerships with non-EU countries and other organisations, including EU-
NATO relations, as well as exercises. The PMG is chaired by a representative of the HR/VP.
The Defence Agency (EDA), based in Brussels, facilitates the improvement of national military capabilities and integration. In that capacity, it makes proposals, coordinates, stimulates collaboration, and runs projects.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS), based in Paris, is an autonomous think tank that researches EU-relevant security issues. The research results are published in papers, books, reports, policy briefs, analyses and newsletters. In addition, the institute convenes seminars and conferences on relevant issues that bring together EU officials, national experts, decision-makers and NGO representatives from all Member States.
The Satellite Centre (SatCen), located in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, supports the decision-making by providing products and services resulting from the exploitation of relevant space assets and collateral data, including satellite and aerial imagery, and related services.
The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is the framework in which 26 of the 27 national armed forces pursue structural
integration. Based on
Article 42.6 and Protocol 10 of the
Treaty on European Union, introduced by the
Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, PESCO was first initiated in 2017.[24] The initial integration within the PESCO format is a number of projects planned to launch in 2018.[25]
PESCO is similar to enhanced co-operation in other policy areas, in the sense that integration does not require that all EU member states participate.
The European Defence Fund is an EU-managed fund for coordinating and increasing national investment in defence research and improve interoperability between national forces. It was proposed in 2016 by
PresidentJean-Claude Juncker and established in 2017 to a value of €5.5 billion per year. The fund has two stands; research (€90 million until the end of 2019 and €500 million per year after 2020) and development & acquisition (€500 million in total for 2019–20 then €1 billion per year after 2020).[26]
^The responsibility of collective selv-defence within the CSDP is based on Article 42.7 of TEU, which states that this responsibility does not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states, referring to policies of nautrality. See
Neutral country§European Union for discussion on this subject.According to the
Article 42.7 "If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States."
Article 42.2 furthermore specifies that
NATO shall be the main forum for the implementation of collective self-defence for EU member states that are also NATO members.
^Sylvain, Paile (1 September 2011). "Europe for the Future Officers, Officers for the Future Europe - Compendium of the European Military Officers Basic Education".
hdl:
2268/100625. {{
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help)
^"Impetus"(PDF). eeas.europa.eu. Retrieved 21 April 2023.