The European Parliament adopted by 493 votes to 81, with 66 abstentions, a resolution on the implementation of civilian CSDP and other EU civilian security assistance.
Since 1999, civilian crisis management has been a key pillar of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) for conflict prevention, stabilisation and the promotion of sustainable peace in the EU. The EU currently maintains 12 civilian missions, and in 20 years of civilian crisis management, it has deployed 24 missions on three different continents, which shows that the demand for civilian crisis management has increased, notably as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
One of the objectives of the EU Strategic Compass is to strengthen the EU's civilian and military CSDP missions and operations by giving them more robust mandates, promoting rapid and flexible decision-making processes and ensuring greater financial solidarity. Member States should adopt a new civilian CSDP Compact by May 2023 in order to continue their efforts towards more effective and efficient civilian CSDP missions.
Enhancing the strategic vision for civilian crisis management
Parliament called on Member States to use the new Civilian CSDP Compact to strengthen their strategic vision of civilian crisis management by clarifying the role, effectiveness and added value of civilian CSDP, and by defining a shared level of ambition for civilian crisis management.
Considering the new risks and threats that have emerged, Members suggested updating and enlarging the civilian CSDP tasks. They also stressed the need to integrate and strengthen crosscutting issues, in particular:
- human security;
- the needs of the local population and local administrations in terms of security and their ownership of the issues;
- the concern for the gender dimension, equal opportunities and the programme for women, peace and security;
- gender sensitivity;
- the youth, peace and security agenda, children and armed conflict;
- mediation, dialogue and reconciliation;
- meaningful engagement with civil society;
- the security-climate nexus;
- civil-military interaction, by promoting the rule of law and accountability, including by strengthening the justice chain and capabilities to respond effectively to security challenges;
- the civilian aspects of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration;
- the fight against corruption;
- monitoring and countering disinformation campaigns,
- the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.
Members called on the EU and its Member States to enhance their strategic communication on civilian crisis management, to garner political support within the EU and in countries where missions take place, providing tailor-made strategic communication for each mission by highlighting the mission's objectives and values and the benefits it brings to the local population, and to support more effective recruitment of qualified personnel, including women, for civilian CSDP missions. They also called for the New Civilian CSDP Compact to introduce more scenario-based planning, strategic foresight and conflict analysis, as well as early warning in decision-making on missions and mandates.
Enhance and deliver the capabilities to match the Compact’s level of ambition
Parliament called on the EEAS to develop, together with the relevant Commission services and Member States, a structured and regular civilian Capability Development Process to assess the availabilities of Member States’ capability needs, develop requirements, conduct a gap analysis and periodically review progress.
Regretting that civilian CSDP missions persistently suffer from Member States not delivering on their pledges to provide sufficient personnel, Members called on Member States to maintain a commitment in the new Compact to raise jointly the number and share of seconded personnel across all missions and at all levels.
Paying renewed and focused attention to current missions
While welcoming the revision of the mandate of EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine, Members called for the EU and its Member States to further step up their support to civilian capability development in Ukraine, including fighting corruption, establishing an effective rule of law system and enhancing cyber and hybrid resilience.
Members also welcomed the swift deployment of European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia monitoring the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as well as the recent establishment of the EU civilian mission in Armenia with the aim of contributing to stability in the border areas of Armenia.
Furthermore, Parliament welcomed the achievements of the five civilian CSDP missions in Africa and called for the continued implementation of their mandates. It called on the EEAS to consider all options concerning the European Union Capacity Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali) and the EU Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic (EUAM RCA), given the deterioration of the political and security situation. It denounced the increasing presence of the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group in the region.
Increasing funding to match ambitions
Members regretted the fact that the CFSP budget for civilian CSDP missions has only marginally increased from the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020 to the MFF 2021-2027 (from a starting point of approximately EUR 350 million per year), while at the same time the number and tasks of missions has increased, therefore limiting the potential for expanding the current missions’ mandates or possibly establishing new missions in response to urgent security needs. They also called for the structure of the CFSP budget to be changed and for the generation of one budget line per civilian CSDP mission, to allow for better scrutiny and increased transparency.
Moreover, Parliament highlighted the need to ensure a more robust and realistic CFSP budget that matches the needs of new and ongoing civilian CSDP missions. It called for a substantive increase of funding for the CFSP budget, while at the same time ensuring the efficient use of the funds allocated to the CSDP civilian missions, in order to make sure that they effectively respond to crisis situations and unforeseen events.
A call was made for the establishment of a dedicated CFSP budget line within an overall increased CFSP budget, or ‘civilian support facility’, to provide partner countries with the equipment and services to enhance their civilian capabilities.
Lastly, Members underlined the fundamental role of Parliament as a budgetary authority and in the scrutiny of CSDP, including civilian CSDP missions. Parliament should also be more involved in the decision-making process on CSDP civilian missions.