Military Committee: smarter solutions for European defence

The Chiefs of Defence of all the member states met in Brussels on 3 May with two main agenda items: military operations and pooling/sharing of capabilities.

Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of the EDA, and General Håkan Syrén, Chairman of the Military Committee
© European Union 2011

In the current economic climate, pooling and sharing of military capabilities, which is based on the Lisbon Treaty, has become all the more important. "We have to do business differently," said General Håkan Syrén, Chairman of theMilitary Committee. The idea is to find smarter solutions and save money by developing and maintaining capabilities together. The first analyses made by all member states will be presented to defence ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 May.

Additionally, contributing to these discussions, were the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, Claude-France Arnould, the Head of the Crisis Management Planning Directorate, Ambassador Walter Stevens, and a NATO representative.

As regards operations, the Chiefs of Defence discussed, among other things, the future strategy for the Horn of Africa. According to General Syrén, it could include Somalia and other countries around the Gulf of Aden. The Operation Commander of EUNAVFOR Atalanta is revising his plan in order to find new ways to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The preparation of operation EUFOR Libya to support humanitarian assistance in the region - to be launched if requested by the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs - is well under way at its headquarters in Rome.

The European Union Military Committee is the highest military body set up within the Council. It meets at the Chiefs of Defence level twice a year; it also holds weekly meetings in Brussels, usually at the level of the permanent military representatives. It advises the Political and Security Committee on all military matters within the EU.

More information:
Press release (pdf)
Press conference video 
EU operations