Marching to where? The operational dimension of the EU Strategic Compass

On 28 April a seminar by the Clingendael, EUISS, and Delors Center institutes concluded among other things: 

EU Battle Groups s are being analyzed to see if they can better contribute to EU operations.

Although there are still worrying gaps in the rosters, the EUBGs could potentially serve as a strategic reserve for ongoing or future CSDP military operations. The challenge is that the EUBG framework is likely to remain inflexible and is bedeviled by a lack of force and enabler commitments.

Besides this, we observe other conclusions which resonate with the Eurodefense EWG 27 recommendations:

Beyond the limitations of the EUBGs, there has been a suggestion to create a 5,000-strong EU force – including all the required enablers – that could be based on more flexible arrangements. Such a force would pave the way for bringing coalitions of the willing into the EU framework. 

Read more about this report at: www.iss.europa.eu

Photo by Óglaigh na hÉireann (Flickr)