| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.40, 18.11.04 |
| Publication Date | 18/11/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 18/11/04 EU GOVERNMENTS will next week commit themselves to having a peacekeeping force of up to 14,000 troops operational by 2007. The pledge to realize the so-called battle groups concept is to be made at a meeting of the Union's defence ministers on Monday (22 November). Diplomatic sources say there is agreement among member states to be ready to have at least one battle group mission operational in 2007. By the following year, the EU should be capable of running at least two simultaneously, the ministers are expected to agree. Under the concept, a mission could draw on up to nine battle groups, each totalling 1,500 soldiers. The intention would be to deploy it within two weeks of receiving a mandate from the UN's Security Council. An operation could either use NATO facilities or act independently of the Alliance. Antonio Missiroli, of the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris, said that this could lead to "American software and European hardware" being involved in operations using the battle groups of EU states. The US has so far only promised to make technology, rather than personnel, available to the 'rapid response' structures being developed at NATO. The scheme has been developed using the model of last year's Operation Artemis in Congo. Designed to quell ethnic violence in the north-eastern Ituri province, this was the Union's first-ever military undertaking without recourse to NATO assets. In a visit to Ethiopia last month, UK premier Tony Blair stated that Africa should be the top priority for action under the battle groups concept. But diplomats say there is no intention that it should be limited to that continent. Following Artemis, the EU's then chief-of-staff Rainer Schuwirth stated that, if the EU was to undertake such missions in the future, it needed to improve its military transport capabilities. According to analysts, the breakthrough in boosting the EU's strategic lift capacity - to take troops to or from a theatre of operations - is only expected towards the end of this decade when orders for the Airbus-manufactured A400M are received. But Daniel Keohane from the London-based Centre for European Reform pointed out that the UK currently has access to significant military transport as it has C-17 aircraft on lease from the US. "As it is, Britain and France should be able to put together a battle group in the morning," he added. But he said that political hurdles could prevent one being sent into action. This had been illustrated with the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region. The possibility of deploying an EU-led mission there has been mooted in the past few months. No European troops have been sent to Sudan, though - officially because the African Union has not requested them. But Keohane said it would be wrong to place all the blame on the latter. "The African Union is new to the security game. The lesson for the future is that the Europeans should be able to move faster." Preview of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 22 November 2004 where EU Defence Ministers are due to discuss important points of the European Defence and Security Policy, such as the setting up of a European peacekeeping force. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Security and Defence |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
