AFP,
The European Union agreed Friday to develop its own military planning body separate from NATO to allow the bloc to conduct operations when the transatlantic alliance prefers not to get involved.
Here are the main points of the accord entitled “NATO/EU Consultation, Planning and Operations:
– A planning unit would be established in Brussels with a few dozen EU military officers responsible for planning and carrying out operations independent from NATO.
– The unit will be based with the EU's existing military staff in Brussels.
– A separate EU unit attached to SHAPE, NATO's military headquarters in Mons, Belgium, would be given permanent status.
– The planning cell would not be a “standing HQ” but rather a capacity to set up an operations center rapidly for an operation.
– NATO will be invited to establish liaison arrangements with the EU's military staff.
– The cell would link efforts across the EU in anticipating crises, including opportunities for conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization.
– It would also assist in planning and coordinating civilian operations and develop ways to manage coordination between military and civilian operations.
– Addressing deep scepticism about the cell, notably in Washington, the accord underscores NATO's preeminent role as the transatlantic military alliance: “NATO is the forum for discussion and the natural choice for an operation involving the European and American allies.”
– When NATO is not involved in an operation, the EU will choose whether or not to have recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, taking into account the alliance's role, capacities and involvement in the region in question.
