The Nordic Countries and the European Security and Defence Policy

BALTIC PERSPECTIVES 381are joining in the activities to be coordinated by the EDA. Estonia foreseesopportunities to use its youthful ‘intellectual capital’ in the area of defencerelatedscience, technology and research programmes as well as openings for itssmall-scale defence industry. Both Estonia and Lithuania are also planning tosupport the EDA with personnel, but Latvia does not foresee its experts workingthere. ‘We have many people working in NATO’, was the explanationgiven.While the interest in the EDA is significant, Baltic enthusiasm for the EUbattle groups is lukewarm. The battle group concept was proposed in order toaddress one of the shortfalls identified in the Headline Goal process: the lack ofan ability to deploy smaller rapid-response elements from the pool of more than100 000 personnel, 400 combat aircraft and 100 naval vessels contributed bymember states to the EU. 73 Africa is envisaged as the most likely area for battlegroup operations. 74When an ESDP initiative risks calling on resources that are also needed tomeet NATO commitments, the ESDP is viewed with significant reservations byEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This has a strong impact on their attitude towardsthe battle groups. The first issue is that of complementarity with NATO; thesecond is possible diversion of resources from NATO; the third is a concernthat failure to resolve these first two issues will affect force planning and trainingfor some, resulting in two tiers of participants; and the fourth issue is thelikely geographic direction of ESDP interventions, Africa.In theory, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania express their support for the conceptof battle groups: the official attitude is that ‘EU Rapid Response Forces are themost important element of the Headline Goal 2010’. 75 However, all three statesemphasize their limited resources, and in the same breath point to the ‘BerlinPlus’ arrangement. 76 Under the principle of a ‘single set of forces’, 77 the largerpart of the EU’s most capable troops will be wearing two hats, available forboth ESDP and NATO missions. The Baltic states’ concern is, however, thatthe different political imperatives underpinning the NATO and ESDP initiativesdefence industrial and technological base and creating a competitive European defence equipmentmarket’. Council of the European Union, ‘Council Joint Action 2004/551/CFSP of 12 July 2004 on theestablishment of the European Defence Agency’, Official Journal of the European Union, vol. L 245,17 July 2004, URL , pp. 17–28. See also chapter 10 in thisvolume.73 Schmidt (note 72), pp. 89–102. On battle groups see also chapter 6 in this volume.74 EU Institute for Security Studies, European Defence: A Proposal for a White Paper, Report of anindependent task force (EU Institute of Security Studies: Paris, 2004), URL ,pp. 59–60.75 Latvian Ministry of Defence, Personal communication with Kristine Atmante, acting Dean, BalticDefence College, Tartu, Nov. 2004.76 ‘Berlin Plus’ refers to a package of agreements reached in 2002–2003 between the EU and NATOdealing primarily with the EU’s access to NATO planning capabilities but also with other assets andcapabilities for EU-led crisis management operations.77 EU Institute for Security Studies (note 74).