Once again PESCO? Yes, it is not the first article EUROMIL dedicates to PESCO and it will certainly not be the last one. However, let me point out  from the start that this time we will not focus on the missing link between PESCO and the human/social factor, even if more than two years after the launch of PESCO and a total of almost fifty projects, the human dimension is still the great absentee from the PESCO initiative.

Monitoring recent discussions on CSDP – celebrating its tenth anniversary – and PESCO in the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) of the European Parliament, one should start wondering if we should not focus on the concept of PESCO as such, rather than on the specific missing parts of the cooperation. To put it bluntly: are CSDP and PESCO more than words? The first and quickest answer would be: “yes, but…”

From the discussion on “Ten years of CSDP”, held on 22 January 2020 in SEDE, one did not get an optimistic view from listening to the debate. The general feeling was that the EU is finally still unable to deliver anything concrete on the ground. One of the speakers pointed out that despite the global strategy, there is still a lack of clarity on EU ambitions and a lack of prioritisation of capabilities. Most people agreed that on the one hand, many ideas and instruments are available, on the other, the momentum erodes, and it is time to act! In other words, as stated by another participant: decision-makers should move on and not waste time in discussing concepts such as strategic autonomy.

A few weeks later, SEDE discussed PESCO with some of the key players such as EEAS, EUMS and EDA.

Read the full article here.