Increasing defence cooperation in the EU now depends more upon
the political will to make it happen than upon legal
considerations, say MEPs in a resolution approved by Parliament
on Thursday. They stress that member states can and should use
the treaty tools in place to build a truly common defence
policy.
MEPs want the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the Permanent
Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to be treated as sui
generis EU institutions, like the EU External Action
Service, and funded through a specific section in the Union
budget.
Co-rapporteur Esteban
González Pons (EPP, ES), on behalf of the Constitutional
Affairs Committee, said "This is an ambitious and strategic
report that comes at an opportune time, as the Security and
Defence Union will be one of the top priorities in the Rome
Declaration next week. There is also a general agreement that
achieving a common defence is now more necessary than ever. In an
unpredictable international climate, we need a common defence
policy which reinforces unity, strategic autonomy and integration
in order to promote peace and security inside the Union and in
the world”.
Co-rapporteur Michael
Gahler (EPP, DE), for the Foreign Affairs Committee,
said "Member states permanently ignore the fact that the funding
of the administrative and operating expenditures for EDA and
PESCO from the Union budget is the only option under the
Treaties. The decision of 6 March to start the Military Planning
and Conduct Capability (MPCC) was, however, a milestone on the
way towards the European Defence Union. By establishing this new
military capability, the member states have finally acted upon
one of parliament’s longstanding demands, which we repeated in
our report”.
The resolution, approved by 360 votes to 212, with 48
abstentions, underlines that developing an EU common defence
policy depends, above all, on the political will of member
states, given that the Lisbon Treaty already provides a
sufficient framework for building a truly common defence policy.
Improved institutional framework
MEPs advocate establishing a “defence ministers” meeting format
within the EU Council of Ministers. They also call for the EDA’s
political backing and resources to be strengthened, and encourage
EU countries to join PESCO as soon as possible.
The resolution argues that the EU Battlegroup system should be
brought under PESCO, alongside the creation of a permanent
civilian and military headquarters. This would enhance
civil-military cooperation and the EU’s ability to react speedily
to crises, MEPs say.
Increased defence expenditure
Parliament also considers it essential to increase national
defence expenditure to 2% of GDP, stressing that this would mean
finding an extra €100 billion for defence by the end of the
coming decade. Extra money should be channelled to research and
development as well as to strategic cooperative programmes, where
the EU could help, the text adds.
Future EU-UK relations
Finally, the resolution underlines the need for further
reflection on future relations between the EU and UK,
particularly in the field of military capabilities, should the UK
decide to leave the Union.
Background
This resolution aims to clarify the European Parliament’s
position on the future of EU defence policies, in time for the
60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. It explores possibilities
for deepening EU-wide defence cooperation within the framework of
the current Lisbon Treaty.
