On 26 and 27 September, EU Ministers of Defence had a two-day informal meeting hosted by the Cypriot Presidency. The meeting was chaired by Cyprus’ Minister of Defence, Mr. Demetris Eliades, on behalf of the High Representative Baroness Catherine Ashton, who was represented by the Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ambassador Maciej Popowski. Ms. Claude France-Arnould, EDA’s Chief Executive, also attended the meeting.
Mr. Eliades described the meeting as a “positive step forward in our common efforts to enhance the Common Security and Defence Policy”, which aims to enhance peace, security, stability and growth.
In addition to the discussions on EU’s southern neighborhood and on Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, EU Defence Ministers also discussed the issue of pooling and sharing in support of developing military capabilities. Ministers welcomed the European Defence Agency’s proposal to develop a voluntary code of conduct on pooling and sharing, and emphasized the need to make this process more systematic and sustainable in the long run.
“EDA will continue to drive Pooling & Sharing forward as a pragmatic, flexible and cost-effective model, and avoiding bureaucratisation. The Code of Conduct will facilitate cooperation, and make Pooling & Sharing sustainable now and in the future", said Ms. Arnould, after the meeting.
EDA’s proposal and results were acknowledged by Ministers; the EEAS representative said: “reactions to EDA's proposal on pooling and sharing and on the specific proposal to establish a code of conduct were encouraging as ministers were positive,” said Ambassador Popowski. The EEAS Deputy Secretary General also pointed out that the main challenge is to link pooling and sharing as a European initiative with the national defence planning processes.
The EDA Steering Board in Ministers of Defence formation meeting will be held on November 19, back to back with the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.
More information:
- Invitation for this meeting
- Agenda: here
- Pictures: here and here
All credits: Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2012