Slovenia’s Defense Minister Matej Tonin told EURACTIV that if the EU wants to become a more reliable security provider and global participant, it needs to avoid past mistakes and develop a reliable military intervention force that can maintain stability in our neighboring countries.
His comments were made before the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers and defense ministers, which will discuss the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
In the context of Afghanistan, EU officials have re-considered the establishment of a 5,000-strong rapid military response force to intervene in the international crisis as soon as possible.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the European Union has established a combat readiness system of 1,500 people since 2007. The system has not yet been put into use and is now largely regarded as a wrong step.
“The initial proposal of 5,000 troops to train and exercise together will improve the EU’s preparedness to deal with possible future crises supported by the rapid deployment force,” he said.
“We don’t need the concept of another EU battle group,” said the Slovenian defense minister.
Tonin said: “Afghanistan will certainly provide some lessons, especially in terms of our business involvement, but I believe the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many areas where the EU must work hard to better prepare for the next crisis. Get ready.”
He said: “It is more obvious than ever that Europe needs to do more for defense, improve its own capabilities, be able to provide security on its own, defend its own interests, and be able to respond to any security challenges independently and effectively.”
When asked whether the United States’ views on European security commitments have changed after Afghanistan, Tonin said, “It is difficult to compare the situation in Afghanistan with our transatlantic relations.”
This is a call for “the need to strengthen our partnership, not only with the United States, but also with international organizations.”
“Strategic Compass” will solve it
According to the Minister of Slovenia, this idea “will improve our strategic autonomy,” and the EU’s strategic compass should provide a platform for reaching consensus around the proposal.
He added that these efforts are working with France to find common ground on this issue, but for this idea to succeed, “the political will of the member states will be crucial.”
The EU’s “strategic compass” is the closest thing the EU may have to military doctrine. It is the latest move to accelerate the deepening of EU defense cooperation and lead to a common threat analysis across the EU. It is expected to be approved in 2022 and will serve as the EU’s rotating presidency in France. Country period.
It will cover crisis management, resilience, capacity development and partnerships, and is regarded by senior EU officials and diplomats as an attempt to “correct the EU doctrine.”
Tonin told EURACTIV that with four months to go before the EU presidency, Slovenia “is expected to see the draft of the strategic document before the fall, preferably before October.”
However, during the threat assessment phase, it is clear that the document will not be a list of threats, partly because EU governments have different views on its severity.
When asked whether he thinks the new tool can overcome the different priority of threats across the EU, Tonin said: “Even if there are currently different priorities for certain identified threats, the strategic compass should still develop clear political guidance. Guidelines and timetable for the next 5 or 10 years.”
“Common threat and challenge analysis is also the first step towards a common strategic culture. It should become our practice, and we should update it regularly,” the minister added.
“It must be a clear and actionable document, and it cannot be downplayed at the national level,” he said.
According to Torin, the discussion has brought forth some innovative ideas, such as the creation of an EU “hybrid toolbox” to deal with mixed threats, false information or other types of manipulation, and the idea of ensuring access to outer space, oceans and other global commons. . Domain or even cyberspace.
“Together with the effects of climate change, these are themes that were not usually considered in the context of national defense and security before,” he added.
“But for the strategic compass, what is important is that we hope it will become a practical and effective guidance document for our member states to use in the next few years,” Tonin emphasized.
Alliance of Will?
On the other hand, another idea in the EU circle is Possibility of a group of countries Those who want to continue the military missions of the EU must continue to advance themselves.
“In order to be able to respond to different crises more flexibly, we need to make more efforts to reach a common understanding of Article 44, which also raises the issue of using the qualified majority vote system, which may be a potential divisive theme,” Toning said, adding that the compass should answer this question.
Article 44 stipulates that within the framework of the EU treaty, the Council can delegate the tasks of the CSDP to a group of member states, the so-called “Union of Wills.”
Western Balkans
When talking about the expansion of the EU, Tonin emphasized that Slovenia will “very seriously” accept the region’s commitment to join the EU, and believes that the EU should expand cooperation “in all possible areas, even during the accession stage”.
When asked whether the European Union should consider extending the benefits of the European Defense Alliance to the Western Balkans to cooperate with the expansion process, Tonin said that it “absolutely” should be so.
“Of course, this step will include expanding the benefits and responsibilities of the alliance’s efforts in the field of defense,” the Slovenian minister added.
He pointed out that Western Balkan partners have actively participated in a number of EU missions, some of which have been included in the EU battle group and cooperated with the European Defense Agency (EDA).
“All this shows that they are willing and able to become an active member of the European Defense Union,” Tonin said, adding that Slovenia’s EU presidency is actively working to strengthen the CSDP dialogue with the region.
“We see great potential for further cooperation and look forward to seeing it become a reality,” he added.
