II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 16

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accession talks with Turkey.

Common Security and Defence Policy: Towards the June 2015 European Council

31. Stresses that the CFSP and the future revised European Security Strategy can be fully effective only if

they are underpinned by a credible Common Security and Defence Policy, as well as timely, effective and full

implementation of the Conclusions of the European Council on Defence of December 2013; in this respect

welcomes the commitment of the new HRVP, in her capacity as the Head of the European Defence Agency, to

make this a key priority during her tenure; recalls its determination to follow closely the progress in this area

and calls for tangible results ahead of the next European Council dedicated to this topic in June 2015; reiterates

that an annual meeting of the European Council on this topic, as well as regular meetings of the Council on

Defence, could further support progress in this area.

32. Supports the HRVP’s ambition to review the European Security Strategy (2003), which, along with the

European Parliament and the National Parliaments, should broadly involve wider foreign and security policy

community participation; underlines the need to redefine the role and security interests of the EU in the

constantly evolving security environment by taking into account the recent threats posed by radical movements

and break-down of the rule-based international order, as well as the level of ambition for further development of

the CSDP, inter alia, in developing the defence capabilities.

33. Recalls, after the European Council of December 2013, that the EU with its CSDP and other instruments

has a strong role to play through its unique comprehensive approach to preventing and managing conflicts and

their causes; stresses the importance of enabling the EU to assume increased responsibilities as a security

provider at the international level and in particular in its neighbourhood, thereby also enhancing its own security

and its role as a strategic global actor; emphasises the importance of cooperation between the EU and its

partners, in particular the UN, NATO, the OSCE and the African Union, as well as strategic partners and

partner countries in its neighbourhood, with due respect to the institutional framework and decision-making

autonomy of the EU.

34. Emphasises the need to continue to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation and coordination, especially in

defence capability development and synchronising military exercises; notes that the Transatlantic cooperation

has geopolitical importance with a great potential to strengthen European security as the Member States of

both organisations are facing new security challenges; in view of the fact that most Member States maintain

armed forces that participate in both NATO— and EU-led crisis management operations, reiterates, however,

the need to respect the security policies of those EU Member States which are not NATO members; underlines

the importance of ensuring strengthened cooperation in order to ensure that the tools employed to achieve the

CSDP and NATO objectives are compatible and that defence capabilities should be further strengthened and

developed through projects that are complementary rather than overlapping.

35. Recalls the necessity to strengthen the EU´s civilian crisis management structures bearing in mind the

fact that the majority of CSDP missions are civilian ones with a steadily growing demand thereof; notes the

existing problem of staffing those civilian CSDP missions with personnel from the Member States; suggests to

follow-up on this issue at the workshop in Luxembourg in the context of implementation of Conclusions of the

upcoming June European Council.

36. Urges Member States to realize that only through real and intensive cooperation Europe will be able to

build its own defence capacity in order to strengthen our sovereignty; highlights the need to increase the

number of Pooling & Sharing projects in implementing the CSDP; welcomes successful Pooling & Sharing

projects launched with the support from the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the EU Military Committee

(incl. the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in line with international humanitarian law,

government satellite communications, Air-to-air refuelling (AAR), as well as developing Cyber Defence

capability); urges the Member States to use this opportunity by focusing on systematic medium— and long-

term cooperation and by exploring the benefits of the Pooling & Sharing initiative before developing their own

capabilities.

37. Considering that further developing of deployable rapid response capabilities is crucial and will require

more interoperability, more combined training and most of all regular evaluation of readiness standards,

underlines that the EUBGs and NATO’s NRF and VJTF concepts should be seen as complimentary and not as

competing structures; points to the role of EU Battlegroups, which, though yet to be deployed, raise levels of