Activities of Radosław SIKORSKI related to 2022/2145(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward
Amendments (34)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to the report on the final outcome of the Conference on the future of Europe of 9 May 2022 1a, __________________ 1a https://futureu.europa.eu/en/pages/reporti ng?format=html&locale=en
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
— having regard to the results of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) of 15 November 20221a, __________________ 1a https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meeti ngs/fac/2022/11/15/
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the EU has been striving for over 20 years to become a capable security actor and encourages cooperation of EU Member States through a variety of structures and instruments such as the European Defence Agency, the Capability Development Plan, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) and the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) in order to improve capabilities, interoperability and cost-effective solutions in European defence; whereas results and effectiveness of these instruments still remain rather limited; whereas since 2017 61 PESCO projects have been launched without any having achieved tangible results;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the Strategic Compass sets out EU-level action in many of these areas; whereas the European Defence Fund and the European Peace Facility are EU instruments which have already been deployed and that are designed to improve military capabilities and foster operational cooperation and burden-sharing abroad; whereas the Strategic Compass proposes to "[s]ignificantly enhancing and harnessing the full potential of EU funding instruments, in particular the European Defence Fund, [a]s key to strengthen our defence capabilities and also equip Member States’ forces to face the future battlefields'"1a; __________________ 1a https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press /press-releases/2022/03/21/a-strategic- compass-for-a-stronger-eu-security-and- defence-in-the-next-decade/
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the much anticipated third joint declarations on EU- NATO cooperation should define areas of coopthe interaction and coordination, establish the tasks to be fulfilled within each framework and be accompanied by roadmaps for their implementationlink between the RDC and NATO’s rapid response forces;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the Strategic Compass sets out a clear roadmap for implementing EU- level actions, in particular for transforming the EU battlegroup system, establishing a rapid deployment capacity (RDC) and paving the way towards entrusting the implementation of specific tasks to a group of Member States within the Union framework in accordance with Articles 42(5) and 44 of the TEU; whereas the RDC is a key deliverable of the Strategic Compass, and should therefore be implemented as a matter of urgency and given the necessary level of urgency by EU Member States;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas Article 44 has never been used, and is ambiguous in terms of how it would work in practice in specific cases; whereas decision-making for the deployment of the RDC could be made via so-called ‘constructive abstention’, whereby a Member State would not block a Council decision to launch a mission of the RDC; highlights, that lack of unanimity in the Council to launch a mission of the RDC could be circumvented through the creation of an informal ‘coalition of the willing’, which would allow an RDC mission to operate with the EU’s blessing;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)
Recital Q a (new)
Qa. whereas the final report on the outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe highlights the need of appointing a European Commissioner for Defence and Security and the creation of a permanent army, which is responsive and can be deployed throughout the world1a; __________________ 1a https://futureu.europa.eu/rails/active_stor age/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsib WVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBK1ZCQVE9PSI sImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9p ZCJ9fQ==-- fd6431aecc848f82a01218686dc7c6396b23 8e7c/Book_CoFE_Final_Report_EN_full. pdf?locale=en
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q b (new)
Recital Q b (new)
Qb. whereas the Petersberg tasks consist of humanitarian and rescue tasks, conflict prevention and peace-keeping, tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peace-making, joint disarmament operations, military advice and assistance tasks and post- conflict stabilisation tasks1a; __________________ 1a https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal- content/glossary/petersberg-tasks.html
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the VP/HR’s proposal, enshrined in the Strategic Compass, to establish an RDC; stresses the importance of the EU having the necessary capabilities and structures to take action rapidly and decisively during crises in order to serve and protect the Union’s citizens, interests and values across the world; considers the RDC as a crucial element for closing the gap between the EU’s level of ambition and its actual capabilities; calls on EU Member States, especially those participating in PESCO with its 20 binding commitments, and the EEAS to facilitate participation in the RDC by providing adequate financial incentives in order to ensure provision of forces for the RDC by the Member States;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls upon the Member States to live up to their ambitions and continue to demonstrate the political will to move forward with the realisation of the RDC; underlines the clear added value of the RDC, in particular as crises will continue to emerge; calls, therefore, upon Member States to also constructively move ahead and make the RDC a symbol of joint European defence and the EU’s strategic autonomy;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point a
Paragraph 2 – point a
(a) The RDC should be established as a European Union structure with its own legal and institutional identity following the example of the EEAS in order to allow for setting up the RDC as a standing force that is permanently stationed and trains together;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point b
Paragraph 2 – point b
(b) The RDC’s tasks should encompass all of the Petersberg Tasks identified in 1992, includeing, but not be limited to, rescue and evacuation operations, initial entry and initial phase of stabilisation operations, temporary reinforcement of other missions, and acting as a reserve force to secure exit; the Council could assign further tasks as referred to under Article 44 of the TEU, and the duration and scope of the assignments should be consistent with resources allocated to the RDC;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c
Paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The RDC should number at least 5 000 troops, excluding strategic enablers such as air and sea lift personnel, intelligence and strategic reconnaissance assets, special operations forces, and medical evacuation and care units; the target number for the RDC should be at least between 7 000 and 10 000 troops in total; underlines, that strategic enablers should also encompass strategic airlift capabilities, including capabilities to transport combat materiel such as tanks, and air-to-air refuelling capabilities; calls on Member States to address capability shortfalls of strategic enablers by 2025, in particular those linked to the RDC; stresses, that lack or shortfall of such capabilities should be addressed by common public procurement initiatives on the EU level, such as through EDIRPA; underlines, that common procurement initiatives are critical in ensuring the EU’s strategic autonomy in the context of a volatile regional and international environment; stresses that future EU acquisitions of weapons systems and strategic enablers should focus on ‘buying European’; stresses in this regard, that the EU should focus on building an EU single market for defence products that could facilitate joint development and procurement and therefore would achieve economies of scale and improved interoperability; welcomes in this regard the Strategic Compass’ aim of boosting cooperation and capabilities to make EU defence industrial cooperation the norm and the need for an innovative, competitive and resilient European Defence Technological and Industrial Base;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c
Paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The RDC should number at least 5 000 troops, excluding strategic enablers such as air and sea lift personnel, intelligence assets, special operations forces and medical evacuation and care units; the target number for the RDC should be at least between 7 000 and 10 000 troops in total; for the EU to be able to deploy up to 10.000 troops it is important for the Member States to ensure in parallel adequate capabilities of national reserve forces;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
(ca) The RDC should be considered as a nucleus for a joint EU military corps as already envisaged in the Helsinki Headline Goal 1999 by gradually assigning additional troops and force elements to the RDC;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point c b (new)
Paragraph 2 – point c b (new)
(cb) The RDC should also function as a facilitator for EU capability development by establishing a priority scheme within PESCO in which the PESCO project EUFOR Crisis Response Operation Core (EUFOR CROC) that aims at the creation of a coherent full spectrum force package should provide the anchor from which other projects are prioritised along the most urgent needs to fulfil the ambition of EUFOR CROC and the RDC in particular;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point d
Paragraph 2 – point d
(d) The RDC should frequently simulate scenarios and hold joint exercises following uniform training and certification standards such as those in NATO; such exercises should be adapted to the current threat landscape and possible deployment scenarios of the RDC; highlights, that uniform training and certification standards improve the interoperability of available EU Member State forces;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point e
Paragraph 2 – point e
(e) All force elements of the RDC should be assigned exclusively to it and not to any other international high-readiness forces, notwithstanding the possibility for Member States to call them up for national duty in the event of an emergency; highlights, that only the so-called ‘single- hatting’ would ensure the operationalisation of the RDC and the RDC’s availability in case of a crisis situation; calls on the Member States to therefore fulfil their respective commitments to ensure the RDC’s operational readiness;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
(ea) The RDC should be certified according to NATO standards in order to ensure compatibility and interoperability between EU and NATO, to enable Member States to swiftly reassign RDC elements to NATO after their RDC commitments have been concluded as well as to allow for the RDC to be assigned under NATO command if deemed necessary by EU Member States;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point g
Paragraph 2 – point g
(g) Similarly, its operating expenditure should be funded from the Union budget with the exception of expenditure that is charged to the European Peace Facility; underlines the need to increase the budget cap and financial resources of the EPF; stresses, that such funding increases should take into account the need to fund the Ukrainian war, and therefore be increased in such a manner, that the EPF’s budget can cover the costs for its scheduled activities and parts of the operating expenditure of the RDC; notes, that all EU defence initiatives, even those paid for by the EU budget, should be included in a given Member States’ calculated commitment to NATO’s 2% defence investment guideline;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 2 – point g a (new)
(ga) The costs of LIVEX should be covered by common funding and would cover, for example, costs of ammunition, leasing of military equipment by the EU, costs arising from wear and tear of material, among other costs related to organising and carrying out LIVEX;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to transform the EU battlegroup system to match the needs of the RDC; considers that the EU battlegroups should be funded from the Union budget during their stand-up, stand-by and stand-down phases; stresses that the development of the RDC should build on the lessons learnt of the EU Battlegroups and that the RDC should not be viewed as a revised EU Battlegroups concept;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to transform the EU battlegroup system to match the needs of the RDC; considers that the EU battlegroups should be funded from the Union budget during their stand-up, stand-by and stand-down phases; calls on Member States to adapt national procedures and if necessary the legislative framework in order to allow for rapid deployment;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights that rapid deployment requires flexibility in political decision- making and the highadequate readiness of military modules, which implies not only having land troops on high readiness, but also the necessary air, sea and special operation components and strategic enablersncludes in addition to ground forces the necessary air, sea and special operation components and strategic enablers; stresses the insufficient progress of the EU with regard to strategic enablers over the past 20 years and calls on the Council to substantially increase its efforts to close these crucial capability gaps; underlines in that regard the role of the European Defence Fund for addressing capability shortfalls and calls for increased funding of the instrument; welcomes, furthermore, the Commission’s initiatives to facilitate joint procurement as an complementary instrument to improve EU’s capabilities and interoperability;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights that rapid deployment requires flexibility in political decision- making and the high readiness of military modules, which implies not only having land troops on high readiness, but also the necessary air, sea and special operation components and strategic enablers; stresses that such a rapid deployment necessitates increasing the EU’s readiness and cooperation by enhancing military mobility; welcomes the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0, especially its stated goal of supporting large-scale movements of military forces across the EU, which are crucial in allowing the EU to deploy the RDC on short notice1a; __________________ 1a https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news/milita ry-mobility-eu-proposes-actions-allow- armed-forces-move-faster-and-better- across-borders-2022-11-10_en
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the RDC should have permanent, fully-fledged operational headquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability in order to ensure its effectiveness; highlights that the MPCC currently lacks adequate human and infrastructure resources to be able to perform its mandate, including the lack of necessary office space and the availability of a secure communications system; underlines the need for funding of the MPCC to be increased to be able to carry out its mandated tasks; highlights that the MPCC will play the coordinating role of coordinating and testing the procedures for the deployment of the RDC; underlines, that the full operability of the MPCC is the fundamental requirement for the successful deployment of the RDC; requests the MPCC to address the lack of interoperable communications systems between EU defence forces;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the RDC should have permanent operational headquarters under the Military Planning and Conduct Capability in order to ensure its effectiveness; expresses its concern that despite the ambition for the MPCC laid out in the Strategic Compass, the MPCC is still lacking sufficient staffing that should amount to at least 180 personnel and also lacks the necessary command and communication capabilities as well as an adequate infrastructure; calls therefore upon the EU Member States, the Council and the Commission to swiftly provide the necessary personnel, allocate sufficient funds as well to establish the necessary infrastructure, including access to EU capabilities in order to enable the MPCC to fulfil its tasks;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises inside EU territory, at the proposal of the VP/HR and following the pertinent authorisation procedures; points out that to enable the armed forces to be able to effectively deal with natural disasters, proper training and equipment should be provided;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU RDC to have the possibility of being deployed and acting in emergencies, natural disasters such as floods or wildfires, or other significant civil-protection crises inside EU territory, at the proposal of the VP/HR, including by prior suggestion of a Member State, and following the pertinent authorisation procedures;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Underlines that the EU’s legislative powers in key areas such as hybrid warfare, cybersecurity or space policy have a big impact on the development and availability of the required strategic enablers for the operationalisation of the RDC; underlines, therefore, the need for a horizontal coordination across policy fields in the EU; points to the fact that more effort and investments in strategic enablers would also contribute to a stronger European support to NATO, where the EU largely relies on the US for the provision of strategic enablers;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights that the RDC can significantly contribute to a more capable European Defence Union which in turn will also strengthen the European pillar within in NATO, thus allowing for an improved burden-sharing in transatlantic security; underlines the necessity for close cooperation and coordination between EU and NATO; calls, therefore, upon the Commission and the Council to further develop EU-NATO cooperation through an ambitious Joint Declaration;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – point a
Paragraph 7 – point a
(a) solely upon a proposal by the VP/HR, including by prior suggestion of a Member State, who should ensure that the views of Parliament are duly taken into consideration in their proposal, and
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights that the use of Article 44 offers significant benefits compared to Member States acting outside the EU framework; highlights, that decision- making on the deployment of the RDC based on Article 44 TEU also allows for the involvement of third countries in RDC missions where necessary and desired;