3 CSDP MISSIONS AND OPERATIONS
3.5. THE EUROPEAN PEACE FACILITY by Sebastian Puig Soler
An ambitious approach to security and defence is paramount to respond to unprecedented external challenges linked to instability and fragility in the EU’s neighbourhood and beyond. As stated in the EU Global Strategy, this approach implies doing more to prevent conflict, promote human security, address instability and work towards a safer world. Concretely, and in line with the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence, as well as the progress made on several EU Defence Initiatives (PESCO, CARD, CDP, EDF and the upcoming Strategic Compass), we should enhance our ability to respond to external conflicts and crises, build partner capacities and protect the EU and its citizens. In June 2017, EEAS Secretary General Helga Schmidt established a Task Force (TF) to review all of the current financial instruments at the disposal of the External Action Service, in order to better align funding with political priorities, based on current experience, and focus on results. One of the most relevant elements of this revision was the need to improve financial support for our peace and security goals, which can be advanced either through the EU budget or through offbudget means. On 13 June 2018, the development of the European Peace Facility (EPF) was publicly announced by former HR/VP Federica Mogherini with the support of the European Commission. The EPF is a new off-budget instrument aimed at enhancing the Union’s ability to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security, by enabling the financing of operational actions under the Common Foreign and Secu-
rity Policy (CFSP) that have military or defence implications. Starting in 2021, it will replace and enlarge the current financial instruments in this area, namely the Athena Mechanism and the African Peace Facility.
WHAT WE HAVE HAD UNTIL NOW The operational experience acquired in recent years in the area of security and defence has taught us that while the EU budget is a key component of our response on peace and security issues, it has not been able to fund all categories of actions that the EU needs to undertake. Even taking into account existing off-budget mechanisms, there have consistently been relevant gaps in the current EU financial support architecture that have somewhat limited the effectiveness of overall EU peace, security and defence efforts, especially in three key areas: • CSDP military missions and operations: the EU’s ability to financially support CSDP military missions and operations is still limited. They have thus far been funded outside of the EU budget by the participating Member States, including their common costs through the so-called Athena Mechanism, established in 2004. Successive Athena reviews have not led to a marked evolution in this financial coverage. The EPF aims to improve the scope of common costs by financing key capabilities for missions and operations, based on lessons learned (e.g. strategic advisers, force protection, helicopters, ROLE 2, etc.).
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