The Quest for Relevant Air Power

18 │ POST–COLD WAR CHALLENGES
EU summit in Nice in December 2000. 24 Particularly, the apparent
European shortfalls during the Kosovo air campaign were a catalyst
for making swift progress in common European defence matters.
25 These developments resulted in a transfer of almost all
WEU functions to the EU, but they do not imply the end of the
WEU treaty as such. 26
Despite the European divide over the Iraq crisis as of 2003, a
further important step was taken in the same year. The document
A Secure Europe in a Better World, written under the direction of
the High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, for the first
time framed a common European security strategy. 27 The document
basically recognises that traditional territorial defence is a
thing of the past and that crises have to be tackled at their roots;
they require a multilateral approach and preventive engagement. 28
To create the required military capabilities for the ESDP, the EU
agreed on two European headline goals. The Helsinki Headline
Goal (HHG), established at the European Council in Helsinki in
December 1999, foresaw the capability of being able, by 2003, to
deploy within 60 days and to sustain for at least one year up to a
corps-size force. 29 Though the HHG goals were formally declared
to be met in 2003, limitations in the ESDP’s military capabilities
were acknowledged. 30
With the adoption of a common European security strategy, a
new headline goal was issued in 2004, reflecting the evolution of
the strategic environment. Headline Goal 2010 (HG 2010) builds
on and complements the previous HHG. It foresees the creation
of national and international battle groups for rapid response
operations—the so-called EU battle groups—and the enhancement
of European lift capacities, including the development of a
European airlift command. 31 The EU battle groups represent a
key element of HG 2010. They are the minimum military effective
and coherent force packages capable of stand-alone operations
in rapid response scenarios. 32 In contrast to the HHG with
its quantitative approach, the adoption of HG 2010 led to a concerted
attention to quality. 33
To avoid unnecessary duplications and to make NATO assets
available for EU operations, a close relationship between the ESDP
and NATO has been established. In particular, finalisation of the
“Berlin Plus” agreement in December 2002 paved the way for a