Decision (CFSP) 2017/2315 sets up permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) between European Union (EU) Member States with the aim of increasing their effectiveness in addressing security challenges and working towards further integrating and strengthening defence cooperation within the EU. It also sets out the list of the participating Member States.
Decision (CFSP) 2018/340 lists the agreed initial collaborative projects, covering areas such as training, capability development and operational readiness.
In all, 26 of the 27 Member States have opted to be part of PESCO: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
Objectives
The participating Member States work together to develop projects to:
enhance military training and exercises;
strengthen their capabilities, including in cyberspace.
While participation is voluntary, decisions remain in the hands of the individual Member States and the specific character of their security and defence policies is taken into account.
The participating Member States agree to cooperate in order to achieve approved objectives in security and defence, committing to more binding common commitments in the following five areas, as set out in Article 2 of Protocol 10 to the TEU.
Investing in defence equipment:
regularly increase defence budgets;
increase defence investment expenditure to 20% of total defence spending;
increase joint and collaborative strategic defence capability projects;
increase spending on defence research and technology to 2% of total defence spending.
Harmonising, pooling resources and reducing duplication:
play a substantial role in capability development, in line with EU ambition;
ensure that projects make the European defence industry more competitive via an appropriate industrial policy;
ensure that cooperation programmes have a positive impact on the European defence technological and industrial base.
The Member States must submit national implementation plans that outline their capabilities and willingness to fulfil the commitments.
In March 2018, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation for a PESCO implementation roadmap, which would provide strategic direction and guidance to the Member States. It also set out a timeline for agreement on possible future projects and the main principles for projects to be adopted by the Council by the end of June 2018.
Amendments to Decision (CFSP) 2018/340
Decision (CFSP) 2018/340 has been amended five times.
Decision (CFSP) 2018/1797 updated the list of projects, bringing the total to 34.
Decision (CFSP) 2019/1909 updated the list of projects, bringing the total to 47.
Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2315 of establishing permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) and determining the list of participating Member States (OJ L 331, , pp. 57–77).
Successive amendments to Decision (CFSP) 2017/2315 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/340 of establishing the list of projects to be developed under PESCO (OJ L 65, , pp. 24–27).
Council Recommendation of concerning a roadmap for the implementation of PESCO (OJ C 88, , pp. 1–4).
Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union – Title V – General provisions on the Union’s external action and specific provisions on the common foreign and security policy – Chapter 2 – Specific provisions on the common foreign and security policy – Section 2 – Provisions on the common security and defence policy – Article 42 (ex Article 17 TEU) (OJ C 202, , pp. 38–39).
Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union – Title V – General provisions on the Union’s external action and specific provisions on the common foreign and security policy – Chapter 2 – Specific provisions on the common foreign and security policy – Section 2 – Provisions on the common security and defence policy – Article 46 (OJ C 202, , pp. 40–41).
Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union – Protocol (No 10) on permanent structured cooperation established by Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union (OJ C 202, , pp. 275–277).
Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835 of defining the statute, seat and operational rules of the European Defence Agency (recast) (OJ L 266, , pp. 55–74).