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A MAJOR NEW COMMITMENT BY MEMBER STATES IN DEFENCE AND SECURITY: PERMANENT STRUCTURED COOPERATION (PESCO)
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Why is PESCO necessary?
Why do we need to strengthen the autono-
mous defence policy and PESCO? In my view,
there are at least three key reasons why PESCO
is needed today. These are:
– The gradual escalation of risks and threats in
neighbouring regions, which shows no signs
of slowing, particularly since 2014. These
endanger not just individual Member States
but the EU as a whole, its political and social
model, and the values that underpin it. A
collective response is therefore required.
– A global political player must be responsible
for its own defence and cannot subcontract
it to others, as currently occurs with NATO.
If it wishes to be an independent player in
the political world, the EU must take respon-
sibility for defending its citizens and its terri-
tory, and this issue is all the more pressing as
a result of the actions of the new United
States administration under President Trump.
– Over recent years, and in particular since
November 2015 (the date on which the de-
fensive alliance clause was activated in re-
sponse to terrorist acts in France) internal and
external security have become more closely
linked, making defence policy a key compo-
nent of anti-terrorism strategies. The two ar-
eas are opposite sides of the same coin.
Among the changes in 2017 and 2018 that
have driven the implementation of CSDP and
PESCO, it is important to stress the impact of
Brexit in promoting cohesion between the re-
maining Member States, and between these
and the institutions of the EU, particularly since
2017, when the European Council of 30 April
agreed a common position with respect to ne-
gotiations, with the backing of the European
Parliament. The completion of the preliminary
stages of negotiations with the United Kingdom
on 8 December 2017 and 23 March 2018, with
the EU achieving almost all of its objectives,
demonstrates the new political climate in the
27-member EU.
Moreover, the new President of the United
States, Donald Trump, is acting as an external
driver of cohesion, at least in defence issues. His
erratic approach to foreign policy is forcing the
EU to take the initiative, and this is speeding up
the EU’s decisions in several areas, particularly
with regard to defence.
The economic situation has also changed
radically from the one that prevailed in 2009.
Over the course of 2017, the eurozone grew
more quickly than the United Kingdom – for the
first time – and faster than the United States,
Japan or Russia, a trend that it seems will be
repeated in 2018.
At the same time, there is a change in the
perception of EU citizens with regard to the
need to develop the European project, with sur-
vey results such as Eurobarometer December
2017 finding that a very high percentage of
citizens support the immediate implementation
of an autonomous defence policy.
In this sphere, a particularly important devel-
opment has been the design and implementa-
tion of the Global Strategy on Foreign and
Security Policy, as a result of which we have
seen decisive action over the last two years in
the form of an evolving European foreign policy
and, in particular, the implementation of a com-
mon defence policy, the principal instrument of
which is PESCO.
Why was PESCO created?
PESCO is necessary to lend credibility to the de-
fensive alliance, promoting the strategic auton-
omy established in the Global Strategy, thereby