By Nele Marianne Ewers-Peters
With PESCO, the European Union has created a new, huge ambition that is doomed to failure from the outset, despite the embellished celebrations. However, the EU is not solely to blame for this. In order to make a success of it, the member states must first agree on the strategic direction of the EU and its Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP).
With the decision to launch the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in November 2017, the EU and its member states not only wanted to send a signal of unity, but also to further deepen their Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). The anchoring of PESCO in the Treaty of Lisbon through Articles 42(6) and 46 was a major - and in the words of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini - even a "historic" step. It also only took a decade for the "sleeping beauty" to wake up and for the participating member states to formalize the desire for deeper integration in security and defence policy. Proponents emphasize that the idea behind PESCO brings numerous benefits and added value to European foreign, security and defence policy. Concrete steps towards further integration in these policy areas and increased effectiveness, as well as the expansion and improvement of the defense and armaments industry are just a few of the desired goals.
However, one must ask oneself whether the EU is up to the PESCO project in its current situation. Let us recall the current situation within the Union: the EU has also been stumbling through the financial and euro crisis for a decade. In the case of Greece, there is no end in sight any time soon. Populism, with its anti-EU sentiment, is spreading further and further and has now reached Italy as well as other member states. Differences over the European migration and refugee crisis persist. In just under ten months, the United Kingdom, one of the continent's strongest military powers, will leave the EU. And, as ever, there is disagreement about the general direction and orientation of Europe. In view of these numerous crises and hurdles, the EU should first concentrate on solving existing problems before taking on another Herculean task.
Furthermore, with PESCO, the EU and its member states have written an ambition on their wish list that is actually doomed to failure from the outset. Firstly, this framework is based on the voluntary participation and contributions of the member states, currently in 17 targeted projects. Especially when there is a lack of political will, as is to be expected, voluntary cooperation programs have little power of enforcement. Secondly, in view of the current situation of the CSDP, doubts arise about the added value of PESCO. This is because there are currently only six ongoing military operations, which are only in the "low intensity" category, and there is currently neither the need nor the desire for new operations. Thirdly, there are still strong differences between the participating member states (i.e. all EU member states excluding Denmark, Malta and the United Kingdom) on the strategic orientation of the EU and its security and defense policy, especially between the so-called Europeanists and Atlanticists and between the states with the strongest military capabilities. For there to be any talk of unity and deeper integration, the states must first agree on the interpretation and strategy of the CSDP before the planned projects, such as increasing military mobility, C2 systems, information exchange and cyber and maritime security capabilities, can be successfully implemented.
To ensure that PESCO does not end up on the scrap heap like its predecessors, the mood among the member states must become more harmonized. It is not in the hands of the EU but of its members to make PESCO a success. Above all, they must agree on the strategic direction of European foreign, security and defense policy and create a clear strategy that will then be pursued. The momentum is still there and must be exploited. Otherwise, the "Sleeping Beauty" will fall back into slumber.
