Civil-military Coordination in the Common Security and ... - ETC Graz

Civil-military Coordination in the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union
Differences between civil and military components of EU crisis management
operations also exist on a more structural level. Even in joint operations or missions,
the civilian and military chains of command of the EU are separate and will, for many
reasons, remain to be so in the future. Examples like the EU’s engagement in BiH
have shown that the manifold presences of the Union on the ground, be it activities of
the Council of the EU or the Commission or both, will often not be perceived as
coming from one actor.
The overall conclusion that the EU is already able to provide integrated responses
to today’s threats and crises would be premature. Much seems to depend on the
individual case. It could, for instance, make a decisive difference if the Commission is
already active in the area of operation for a longer period of time, or if the actors
involved find opportunities to closely coordinate their activities; furthermore, it could
make a difference if there is an EUSR with a strong mandate to coordinate the
different activities of the EU; additionally, individual arrangements for coordination
might considerably enhance CMCO.
In operational terms, learning by doing still appears to be the name of the game.
The crisis management exercises and ongoing operations will have to inform the
further advancement of CMCO. Of course, we should not forget that the entire CSDP
is still evolving and despite the progress made, the process of advancing CMCO has
not come to an end either. 40 From the perspective of human security, it is at least
encouraging to see that CMCO plays a prominent role in the development of the
CSDP.
40 On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the ESDP, the Council acknowledged that
more efforts regarding civil-military coordination are necessary. Council of the European
Union, Ministerial declaration; ESDP Ten Years – Challenges and Opportunities, 2974th
External Relations Council meeting, Brussels, 17 November 2009, 3.
39