BETA


2022/2145(INI) EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead AFET LÓPEZ Javi (icon: S&D S&D) SIKORSKI Radosław (icon: EPP EPP), NART Javier (icon: Renew Renew), NEUMANN Hannah (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), KANKO Assita (icon: ECR ECR), DEMIREL Özlem (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2023/04/19
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2023/04/19
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution by 444 votes to 96, with 86 abstentions, on EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward.

In adopting the Strategic Compass , Member States agreed that they should collectively be able to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis outside the Union at any stage of the conflict cycle, and to develop a rapid deployment capability that would allow the Union to deploy rapidly a modular force comprising land, air and sea components, as well as the necessary strategic assets.

Establishing a European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC)

Parliament welcomed the VP/HR’s proposal, enshrined in the Strategic Compass, to establish the EU RDC. Members stressed the importance of the EU having the necessary flexible, robust and credible instruments, capabilities, and command and control structure to act effectively and respond rapidly and decisively to prevent and manage crises in order to assert itself as a more credible security and defence actor. The EU RDC should reach full operational capability by 2025 at the latest .

Parliament encouraged the VP/HR to propose a Council decision on an EU RDC to protect the values of the Union and to serve the interests of the Union as a whole, to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis situation outside the Union including in non-permissive environments and during all stages of a conflict cycle.

In particular, the EU's RDC should be based on the following axes:

- being established as one of the types of European Union military capability for crisis response with its own legal and institutional identity, to allow for setting up the EU RDC as a force that is permanently available and trains together with the goal of reaching a standing force;

- reflect the challenges, risks and threats identified in the EU threat analysis;

- have at least 5 000 troops , excluding strategic enablers;

- conduct regular joint exercises at strategic, joint and tactical levels, in accordance with NATO standards, within a European framework based on operational scenarios and following uniform training and certification standards;

- provide for all force elements of the EU's CDR to be assigned exclusively to it;

- be based on rotating units, with a rotation period of 12 months;

- be deployed on the ground , so at the time of their engagement all participating Member States must notify EU RDC Headquarters of what units and equipment, including air, sea and land transport, will be permanently at the disposal of the EU RDC.

Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC)

The resolution pointed out that the EU RDC should have permanent, fully-fledged operational headquarters under the MPCC. A permanently active headquarters requires up to 350 staff members capable of planning and running EU RDC deployments. The headquarters should have adequate infrastructure, an integrated secure communication and information structure drawing on the EU’s secure connectivity programme, and facilities for secure meetings and for the use of intelligence services. Appropriate funding is necessary to allow its headquarters to carry out its functions and mandated tasks.

Article 44 of the TEU – acting in the name of the European Union

Article 44 TEU provides for possibilities to react within an EU framework to different crises in a more rapid and flexible manner with the aim of safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. However, Article 44 TEU has never been used, and is imprecise in terms of how it would work in practice. Parliament highlighted that the use of Article 44 can offer significant benefits, such as speed, flexibility and freedom of action while preserving joint EU action in situations where troop deployment needs to be rapid to prevent further escalation and where the risks to combat troops are at the higher end. It highlighted, that decision-making on the deployment of the EU RDC based on Article 44 TEU also allows for the involvement of third countries in EU RDC missions where necessary and desired.

Budgetary aspects

According to the resolution, the EU RDC’s administrative expenditure should be funded from the Union budget . It is provided that the CFSP budget is considerably increased and that ongoing civilian CSDP missions do not see their budget reduced as a consequence.

Regarding operating expenditure, including for joint exercises for fully operational capability (FOC) certification and the costs of ammunition, leasing military equipment by the EU and costs related to organising and carrying out live exercises, this should come from a revised European Peace Facility with an increased budget.

Lastly, Member States are called on to show political will and to provide the adequate amount of funds and personnel needed to take action as soon as possible to deliver the transformation of the EU battlegroup system into a more robust and flexible instrument to match the needs of the EU RDC.

Documents
2023/04/18
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2023/03/28
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted a report by Javi LÓPEZ (S&D, ES) on EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward.

Since 2003 the EU has acquired extensive experience in deploying military operations and civilian missions to promote peace, security, stability and progress in Europe and in the world. These common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations and missions regularly operate alongside and complement missions of the Member States, United Nations, NATO, other international organisations and third countries.

The geopolitical landscape in Europe has changed dramatically after the outbreak of war on European soil and the overall global security situation has worsened. Therefore, the EU needs to be more responsive and credible in addressing crises.

While NATO remains the key institutional framework for Euro-Atlantic security, the EU urgently needs to assume more responsibility for its own security by acting in its neighbourhood and beyond. To achieve this end, the EU must improve its own security and defence capabilities to ensure its strategic autonomy as well as its ability to safeguard its own values and interests.

The EU Strategic Compass (approved by the Council in March 2022) called for the creation of a European Rapid Deployment Capacity that would allow the EU to send up to 5 000 troops to the field in the event of a crisis.

Establishing a European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC)

Members welcomed the VP/HR’s proposal to establish the EU RDC. They stressed the importance of the EU having the necessary flexible, robust and credible instruments, capabilities, and command and control structure to act effectively and respond rapidly and decisively to prevent and manage crises in order to assert itself as a more credible security and defence actor and serve and protect the Union’s citizens, interests, principles and the values enshrined in Article 21 TEU across the world. It considers the EU RDC to be crucial for closing the gap between the EU’s level of ambition and its actual capabilities. The EU RDC should reach full operational capability by 2025 at the latest.

The committee strongly encouraged the VP/HR to propose a Council decision for an EU RDC to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis situation outside the Union. The EU RDC should conduct regular joint exercises at the strategic, joint forces, and tactical level in line with NATO standards within an EU framework based on operational scenarios and following uniform training and certification standards, such as NATO’s, to improve readiness and interoperability.

Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC)

The report pointed out that the EU RDC should have permanent, fully-fledged operational headquarters under the MPCC. A permanently active headquarters requires up to 350 staff members capable of planning and running EU RDC deployments. Members underlined the need for appropriate funding to allow its headquarters to carry out its functions and mandated tasks. They also called for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises within EU territory.

Article 44 of the TEU – acting in the name of the European Union

Article 44 TEU provides for possibilities to react within an EU framework to different crises in a more rapid and flexible manner with the aim of safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. However, Article 44 TEU has never been used, and is imprecise in terms of how it would work in practice. The report highlighted that the use of Article 44 can offer significant benefits, such as speed, flexibility and freedom of action while preserving joint EU action in situations where troop deployment needs to be rapid to prevent further escalation and where the risks to combat troops are at the higher end. It highlighted, that decision-making on the deployment of the EU RDC based on Article 44 TEU also allows for the involvement of third countries in EU RDC missions where necessary and desired.

Budgetary aspects

According to the report, the EU RDC’s administrative expenditure should be funded from the Union budget. It is provided that the CFSP budget is considerably increased and that ongoing civilian CSDP missions do not see their budget reduced as a consequence. Regarding operating expenditure, including for joint exercises for fully operational capability (FOC) certification and the costs of ammunition, leasing military equipment by the EU and costs related to organising and carrying out live exercises, this should come from a revised European Peace Facility with an increased budget.

Lastly, Member States are called on to show political will and to provide the adequate amount of funds and personnel needed to take action as soon as possible to deliver the transformation of the EU battlegroup system into a more robust and flexible instrument to match the needs of the EU RDC.

Documents
2023/03/09
   EP - Vote in committee
2022/12/01
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2022/10/20
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2022/10/20
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2022/09/15
   EP - LÓPEZ Javi (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in AFET

Documents

Activities

Votes

La capacité de déploiement rapide de l’UE, les groupements tactiques de l’UE et l’article 44 du traité UE: la voie à suivre - EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward - EU-Schnelleingreifkapazität, EU-Gefechtsverbände und Artikel 44 EUV: das weitere Vorgehen - A9-0077/2023 - Javi López - Proposition de résolution #

2023/04/19 Outcome: +: 444, -: 96, 0: 86
DE ES IT RO PL FR CZ NL SE BG BE DK HU PT AT HR LT FI SI LU SK EE IE LV EL CY MT
Total
86
58
68
27
43
70
20
29
21
13
18
14
21
16
17
12
9
13
7
6
13
6
13
7
12
3
4
icon: PPE PPE
155

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Hungary PPE

Abstain (1)

1

Finland PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

Abstain (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
123

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Belgium S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
93

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Hungary Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

1

Finland Renew

3

Slovenia Renew

2

Luxembourg Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Ireland Renew

2

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Greece Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
69

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

3

Romania Verts/ALE

1

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Ireland Verts/ALE

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2
icon: NI NI
39

Germany NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

Croatia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Slovakia NI

2

Latvia NI

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
58

Germany ECR

Against (1)

1

Romania ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Sweden ECR

3

Bulgaria ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Finland ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Greece ECR

Abstain (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
31

Germany The Left

3

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1

Sweden The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Denmark The Left

Against (1)

1

Finland The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Ireland The Left

4

Greece The Left

Against (1)

2

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: ID ID
58

Czechia ID

Against (2)

2

Denmark ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
342 2022/2145(INI)
2022/12/01 AFET 342 amendments...
source: 739.615

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/2
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0113_EN.html title: T9-0113/2023
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/4
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0113_EN.html title: T9-0113/2023
events/4
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
type
Results of vote in Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=59685&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
events/5
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0113_EN.html title: T9-0113/2023
events/5/summary
  • The European Parliament adopted a resolution by 444 votes to 96, with 86 abstentions, on EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward.
  • In adopting the Strategic Compass , Member States agreed that they should collectively be able to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis outside the Union at any stage of the conflict cycle, and to develop a rapid deployment capability that would allow the Union to deploy rapidly a modular force comprising land, air and sea components, as well as the necessary strategic assets.
  • Establishing a European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC)
  • Parliament welcomed the VP/HR’s proposal, enshrined in the Strategic Compass, to establish the EU RDC. Members stressed the importance of the EU having the necessary flexible, robust and credible instruments, capabilities, and command and control structure to act effectively and respond rapidly and decisively to prevent and manage crises in order to assert itself as a more credible security and defence actor. The EU RDC should reach full operational capability by 2025 at the latest .
  • Parliament encouraged the VP/HR to propose a Council decision on an EU RDC to protect the values of the Union and to serve the interests of the Union as a whole, to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis situation outside the Union including in non-permissive environments and during all stages of a conflict cycle.
  • In particular, the EU's RDC should be based on the following axes:
  • - being established as one of the types of European Union military capability for crisis response with its own legal and institutional identity, to allow for setting up the EU RDC as a force that is permanently available and trains together with the goal of reaching a standing force;
  • - reflect the challenges, risks and threats identified in the EU threat analysis;
  • - have at least 5 000 troops , excluding strategic enablers;
  • - conduct regular joint exercises at strategic, joint and tactical levels, in accordance with NATO standards, within a European framework based on operational scenarios and following uniform training and certification standards;
  • - provide for all force elements of the EU's CDR to be assigned exclusively to it;
  • - be based on rotating units, with a rotation period of 12 months;
  • - be deployed on the ground , so at the time of their engagement all participating Member States must notify EU RDC Headquarters of what units and equipment, including air, sea and land transport, will be permanently at the disposal of the EU RDC.
  • Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC)
  • The resolution pointed out that the EU RDC should have permanent, fully-fledged operational headquarters under the MPCC. A permanently active headquarters requires up to 350 staff members capable of planning and running EU RDC deployments. The headquarters should have adequate infrastructure, an integrated secure communication and information structure drawing on the EU’s secure connectivity programme, and facilities for secure meetings and for the use of intelligence services. Appropriate funding is necessary to allow its headquarters to carry out its functions and mandated tasks.
  • Article 44 of the TEU – acting in the name of the European Union
  • Article 44 TEU provides for possibilities to react within an EU framework to different crises in a more rapid and flexible manner with the aim of safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. However, Article 44 TEU has never been used, and is imprecise in terms of how it would work in practice. Parliament highlighted that the use of Article 44 can offer significant benefits, such as speed, flexibility and freedom of action while preserving joint EU action in situations where troop deployment needs to be rapid to prevent further escalation and where the risks to combat troops are at the higher end. It highlighted, that decision-making on the deployment of the EU RDC based on Article 44 TEU also allows for the involvement of third countries in EU RDC missions where necessary and desired.
  • Budgetary aspects
  • According to the resolution, the EU RDC’s administrative expenditure should be funded from the Union budget . It is provided that the CFSP budget is considerably increased and that ongoing civilian CSDP missions do not see their budget reduced as a consequence.
  • Regarding operating expenditure, including for joint exercises for fully operational capability (FOC) certification and the costs of ammunition, leasing military equipment by the EU and costs related to organising and carrying out live exercises, this should come from a revised European Peace Facility with an increased budget.
  • Lastly, Member States are called on to show political will and to provide the adequate amount of funds and personnel needed to take action as soon as possible to deliver the transformation of the EU battlegroup system into a more robust and flexible instrument to match the needs of the EU RDC.
docs/2
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0113_EN.html title: T9-0113/2023
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/3
date
2023-04-18T00:00:00
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Debate in Parliament
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EP
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url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2023-04-18-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
events/4
date
2023-04-19T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0113_EN.html title: T9-0113/2023
forecasts
  • date: 2023-04-19T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament's vote
New
Procedure completed
forecasts/0
date
2023-04-18T00:00:00
title
Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/0
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2023-04-18T00:00:00
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Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/0
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Indicative plenary sitting date
forecasts/1
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Vote in plenary scheduled
forecasts/0/date
Old
2023-05-08T00:00:00
New
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docs/2
date
2023-03-28T00:00:00
docs
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type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
events/2/summary
  • The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted a report by Javi LÓPEZ (S&D, ES) on EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward.
  • Since 2003 the EU has acquired extensive experience in deploying military operations and civilian missions to promote peace, security, stability and progress in Europe and in the world. These common security and defence policy (CSDP) operations and missions regularly operate alongside and complement missions of the Member States, United Nations, NATO, other international organisations and third countries.
  • The geopolitical landscape in Europe has changed dramatically after the outbreak of war on European soil and the overall global security situation has worsened. Therefore, the EU needs to be more responsive and credible in addressing crises.
  • While NATO remains the key institutional framework for Euro-Atlantic security, the EU urgently needs to assume more responsibility for its own security by acting in its neighbourhood and beyond. To achieve this end, the EU must improve its own security and defence capabilities to ensure its strategic autonomy as well as its ability to safeguard its own values and interests.
  • The EU Strategic Compass (approved by the Council in March 2022) called for the creation of a European Rapid Deployment Capacity that would allow the EU to send up to 5 000 troops to the field in the event of a crisis.
  • Establishing a European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC)
  • Members welcomed the VP/HR’s proposal to establish the EU RDC. They stressed the importance of the EU having the necessary flexible, robust and credible instruments, capabilities, and command and control structure to act effectively and respond rapidly and decisively to prevent and manage crises in order to assert itself as a more credible security and defence actor and serve and protect the Union’s citizens, interests, principles and the values enshrined in Article 21 TEU across the world. It considers the EU RDC to be crucial for closing the gap between the EU’s level of ambition and its actual capabilities. The EU RDC should reach full operational capability by 2025 at the latest.
  • The committee strongly encouraged the VP/HR to propose a Council decision for an EU RDC to respond to imminent threats or to react rapidly to a crisis situation outside the Union. The EU RDC should conduct regular joint exercises at the strategic, joint forces, and tactical level in line with NATO standards within an EU framework based on operational scenarios and following uniform training and certification standards, such as NATO’s, to improve readiness and interoperability.
  • Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC)
  • The report pointed out that the EU RDC should have permanent, fully-fledged operational headquarters under the MPCC. A permanently active headquarters requires up to 350 staff members capable of planning and running EU RDC deployments. Members underlined the need for appropriate funding to allow its headquarters to carry out its functions and mandated tasks. They also called for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises within EU territory.
  • Article 44 of the TEU – acting in the name of the European Union
  • Article 44 TEU provides for possibilities to react within an EU framework to different crises in a more rapid and flexible manner with the aim of safeguarding the Union’s values and interests. However, Article 44 TEU has never been used, and is imprecise in terms of how it would work in practice. The report highlighted that the use of Article 44 can offer significant benefits, such as speed, flexibility and freedom of action while preserving joint EU action in situations where troop deployment needs to be rapid to prevent further escalation and where the risks to combat troops are at the higher end. It highlighted, that decision-making on the deployment of the EU RDC based on Article 44 TEU also allows for the involvement of third countries in EU RDC missions where necessary and desired.
  • Budgetary aspects
  • According to the report, the EU RDC’s administrative expenditure should be funded from the Union budget. It is provided that the CFSP budget is considerably increased and that ongoing civilian CSDP missions do not see their budget reduced as a consequence. Regarding operating expenditure, including for joint exercises for fully operational capability (FOC) certification and the costs of ammunition, leasing military equipment by the EU and costs related to organising and carrying out live exercises, this should come from a revised European Peace Facility with an increased budget.
  • Lastly, Member States are called on to show political will and to provide the adequate amount of funds and personnel needed to take action as soon as possible to deliver the transformation of the EU battlegroup system into a more robust and flexible instrument to match the needs of the EU RDC.
docs/2
date
2023-03-28T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0077_EN.html title: A9-0077/2023
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  • date: 2023-03-13T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
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  • date: 2023-03-13T00:00:00 title: Indicative plenary sitting date
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title: PE739.607
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Amendments tabled in committee
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