Co-ordinating civil and military power

Short of military assets, the EU has attempted to pick its fights carefully and use its limited civilian and military power in a co-ordinated way.

Around the world, civilian and military crisis and post-crisis management tools - ranging from military peacekeepers to experts on judicial reform - are frequently used in tandem to enhance the EU’s influence.

Consequently, the line between military and civilian missions is increasingly blurred.

The EU’s year-long monitoring mission to the Indonesian province of Aceh, which finished on 15 December, was one example. The EU’s task was to monitor a ceasefire between the government and Aceh, collect arms from Aceh separatists, assist the reintegration of militia members into local communities, monitor the scaling down of Indonesian troops in the province and monitor regional elections. Although the mission was civilian in character - largely because of the sensitivities of the Indonesian military - and the EU staff were not armed, many of the personnel involved had security experience.

But this interlinking of civilian and military resources does not fit easily with the EU’s own structures.

Traditionally the European Commission has been responsible for civilian elements of crisis management, while the Council of Ministers has controlled more military-orientated tasks, which has been a recipe for regular turf wars.

In response, the EU, stuck with its institutional structure, has tried to weave these elements together as best it can, although financing and arranging missions can be cumbersome.

A soon-to-be adopted joint strategy on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of forces (DDR), highlights the problem, acknowledging that the nature of key post-conflict management tasks is changing.

"While the DDR in the past was seen as a purely military and technical issue, there is increased recognition today that the DDR needs to be part of the political and social developments and will be most successful when properly linked to an overall peace process, democratic governance issues, transitional justice and long-term development criteria."

The DDR paper is just one of a number of joint papers, which have also covered strategies on consular co-operation in third states, external energy risks and the EU’s role in Kosovo. But the issue of co-operation remains politically fraught and joint papers or not, it seems likely that without a new institutional arrangement the Council and the Commission will continue to compete.

Short of military assets, the EU has attempted to pick its fights carefully and use its limited civilian and military power in a co-ordinated way.