The European Council and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

This study assesses the planning, command and control of civilian and military CSDP missions and operations, progress made in developing civilian and military capabilities, particularly rapid response capabilities in the form of the EU Battlegroups, as well as challenges encountered during the force generation process. In recent years, the European Council has repeatedly called for further progress in all of these areas. The study concludes that, despite recent progress in reviewing crisis management procedures, operational planning remains cumbersome and slow. The findings indicate that the chain of command for CSDP military operations would benefit from further streamlining, possibly through the creation of a Follow-up Centre for Missions and Operations placed under the supervision of the European Union Military Staff. 'Modular' configurations specific to high-readiness alert units should also be explored as a priority when further developing rapid reaction military capabilities. The study also shows that, for civilian CSDP, the delays encountered in the force generation process could be reduced by further developing national rosters of experts deployable on missions and operations.