Council Conclusions on the PESCO Strategic Review 2020

Summary:

Set of conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union on 20 November 2020 concerning the PESCO Strategic Review 2020.

Further information:

The review of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) assesses the progress made on PESCO and provides guidance for the following phase (2021-2025) on the overall aim, policy goals, incentives and projects.

It highlights the need to fulfil the more binding commitments and achieve concrete outputs and tangible deliverables by 2025. It stresses the importance of making tangible progress towards a coherent Full Spectrum Force Package that strengthens the EU's military ability to act. It also highlights and reaffirms key objectives such as those connected to defence investments, more systematic use of EU defence tools in national planning processes, enhancing the EU's operational effectiveness and developing the necessary capabilities.

The review highlights some incentives for giving PESCO more visibility at the political level and increasing the degree of transparency between member states on the way in which they are fulfilling their commitments, notably in the operational area. The review also highlights a list of 26 PESCO projects which will deliver concrete results or reach full operational capability before the end of 2025.

Official

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 20/11/2020: Defence cooperation: Council approves conclusions on the PESCO Strategic Review 2020 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/11/20/defence-cooperation-council-approves-conclusions-on-the-pesco-strategic-review-2020/

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