Issue 34 - Council of the European Union

Issue # 34 - 17 December 2010
Ordre du jour chargé pour le Conseil Affaires
étrangères du 13 décembre
Le 13 décembre dernier, les ministres
des Affaires étrangères étaient
réunis à Bruxelles sous la Présidence
de la Haute Représentante Catherine
Ashton. Parmi les nombreux sujets
à l’ordre du jour, la Côte d’Ivoire, le
processus de paix au Proche-Orient,
le Soudan.
HR Ashton au Conseil Affaires
étrangères, 13 décembre
La Représentante spéciale de l’UE
pour le Soudan, Rosalind Marsden,
a exposé les options concernant le plan d’intervention pour
le Soudan, mis en oeuvre dans le cadre de la préparation du
référendum sur l’autodétermination du Sud-Soudan qui se
tiendra le 9 janvier. Le Conseil s’est engagé à soutenir le Soudan
afin de promouvoir de manière durable la paix, la stabilité
et la prospérité pour toute la population soudanaise. L’UE a
dépêché des experts qui suivent le déroulement du processus
d’inscription des électeurs et une mission d’observation
électorale sera déployée prochainement.
Le Conseil a par ailleurs débattu de la situation en Somalie
après la formation du nouveau gouvernement à Mogadiscio.
Il a examiné les différents aspects de l’engagement global
de l’UE dans le soutien apporté au gouvernement fédéral de
transition, y compris les deux opérations militaires de l’UE :
EUTM Somalie, qui a accompli avec succès la moitié de son
mandat, et l’opération de lutte contre les actes de piraterie,
EUNAVFOR-Atalante.
La situation politique en Afghanistan au lendemain des
élections a également été abordée par le Conseil, notamment
les domaines spécifiques dans lesquels l’UE peut porter ses
efforts, ses principales priorités étant le secteur de la justice,
les droits fondamentaux, et notamment les droits des femmes,
la réforme du service civil, la réforme électorale et la réforme
de la police, dans laquelle EUPOL Afghanistan joue un rôle
important.
Concernant la situation au Proche-Orient, dans le cadre de
son approche globale, comprenant notamment les missions
EUPOL COPPS et EUBAM Rafah, l’UE est disposée à étendre son
aide à l’amélioration des infrastructures aux points de passage,
à acheter et à installer les équipements nécessaires et aussi
à former le personnel palestinien chargé de la gestion des
frontières et des points de passage pour qu’il puisse en assurer
le bon fonctionnement.
Au cours du dîner, la Haute Représentante et les ministres ont
poursuivi les discussions engagées sur les relations de l’UE avec
ses partenaires stratégiques, en prévision de la présentation
de la Haute Représentante lors du Conseil européen qui se
tient les 16 et 17 décembre et sur la base des documents de
réflexion relatifs à la Chine, à la Russie et aux États-Unis. Les
discussions ont également porté sur les priorités de la politique
étrangère pour 2011.
Sur la politique de sécurité et de défense commune (PSDC),
le Conseil a approuvé les recommandations contenues dans le
rapport sur les enseignements et les meilleures pratiques pour
la prise en compte des droits de l’homme et de la question de
l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes dans les opérations
militaires et les missions civiles menées dans le cadre de la PSDC.
Parmi ces recommandations figurent notamment : la prise en
compte de ces questions dans la planification et l’évaluation
des missions, une formation adéquate, l’amélioration de
l’équilibre hommes/femmes au sein du personnel déployé, la
necessité d’informer davantage sur les aspects des missions
et opérations relatifs aux droits de l’homme et à l’égalité des
sexes et d’encourager une participation active des femmes
dans les négociations et l’activité politique.
Le Conseil a également approuvé le document sur le
développement capacitaire civil et militaire de l’UE au-delà de
2010, et a pris note du rapport final sur l’objectif global civil à
l’horizon 2010.
Le Conseil a par ailleurs approuvé le deuxième rapport sur
les progrès réalisés par les États membres en vue de faciliter
le déploiement de personnel civil dans le cadre de missions
PSDC.
Foreign Affairs Council conclusions
Conclusions du Conseil Affaires étrangères
Council conclusions on Sudan
Council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process
HR Ashton participated in the European
Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg
HR Ashton briefed European Parliament on the NATO Lisbon
Summit in Strasbourg on 15 December 2010
HR Ashton on the EU’s Annual Human Rights Report at the
European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15 December 2010
EUNAVFOR-Atalanta enters its 3rd year as an
extension to 2012 is confirmed
8 December 2010 marked
the 2nd anniversary of the
start of EUNAVFOR-Atalanta,
the European Union’s Naval
Force counter-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden and
Somali Basin. The anniversary
coincided with the confirmation by the EU that the operation would be extended until
December 2012.
EUNAVFOR ship HNLMS Amsterdam
escorts WFP chartered
MV Captain Said
Over the past two years, EUNAVFOR’s primary mission has been
to protect United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) vessels against pirate attack by providing close escort to the ships
carrying much needed humanitarian aid to Somalia. Since the
start of the operation, 98 WFP vessels have been escorted of
which 90 have been protected by EUNAVFOR units. The African
Union Mission in Somalia’s (AMISOM) logistic vessels also come
under the protective arm of EUNAVFOR with 77 successful
escorts being achieved to date.
The Operational Commander, Major General Buster Howes
said: “Having been tasked to protect WFP vessels, I am proud
to say that, since we arrived, not a single WFP ship has been
successfully pirated and that we are now providing escorts
to an organisation that is providing humanitarian aid to
1.8 million people per day and that has so far delivered nearly
470,000 tons of much needed food to the Somali people.”
The Naval Force is also tasked to protect other vulnerable shipping and to help deter, prevent and repress pirate attacks. This
last task is considerable and is the one which, with an area of
over three million square kilometres equating to the size of Western Europe to patrol, is proving to
be the most challenging. Despite
the best efforts of EUNAVFOR,
there are still currently 22 pirated
vessels and 532 hostages in the
hands of pirates off the coast of
EUNAVFOR escorting AMISOM
Somalia.
“There is no getting away from the fact that strategically, a naval presence is not deterring the pirates. The business model
that they have adopted is too productive and the rewards simply too huge for them to be deterred from their activities. The
solution has always and will always lie ashore. We will continue
to ‘hold the line’ at sea whilst the international community, led
by the EU, adopts a more comprehensive approach ashore’ he
added.
In the Gulf of Aden, the establishment and regular policing
of the internationally recommended transit corridor (IRTC) by
EUNAVFOR ships and aircraft has had a significant effect on the
number of successful attacks with a 54% reduction in the number of piratings between 2009 and 2010.
In the Somali Basin, the EUNAVFOR has also had considerable
success in disrupting pirate attacks with some 75 pirate action
groups apprehended since the start of the operation. As a
result of its close cooperation with regional governments such
as Kenya and The Republic of the Seychelles, 92 suspected
pirates captured by EUNAVFOR have entered a legal system,
with 43 being convicted to date.
The continuing close relationship with industry and the
application of the much-publicised best management
practices (BMP) are particularly worthy of note with instances
of merchant vessels defeating pirate attacks by using BMPs
become increasingly common. Latest figures suggest that
since 19 November 2010, 15 merchant ships have successfully
defended themselves against attacks using the advice provided
by the merchant industry and EUNAVFOR. The message from
the EUNAVFOR is clear: the merchant community should
consider themselves to be on the front line of defence and
must implement BMP.
As EUNAVFOR - Atalanta
goes on into 2012, the
comprehensive approach of
the EU also continues with
the EU Training Mission for
Somalia (EUTM Somalia) and
the work carried out by the
EU Delegation in Kenya for
Somalia.
EUTM and Somali soldiers in
the Bihanga camp, Uganda
www.eunavfor.eu
consilium.europa.eu/eunavfor-somalie
EUNAVFOR Force Headquarters handover
ceremony
On 14 December, at a ceremony in
Djibouti on board the EUNAVFOR
French warship FGS De Grasse, Rear
Admiral Philippe Coindreau, who
has been the Force Commander
of EUNAVFOR-Atalanta for the last
four months, handed over to Rear
Admiral Juan Rodriguez (Spain).
He will lead the multinational
Force Headquarters onboard the
EUNAVFOR Spanish warship SPS
Patino for the next four months.
Handover of the Force
command between
Rear Admiral Coindreau and
Rear Admiral Rodriguez
“In 2010, 72% of pirate attacks have failed, 81% since August.
Those results are due to the combination of EUNAVFOR’s
action, the application of new concepts of operations, the use,
by the maritime community, of systematic security measures
on merchant vessels and high-quality cooperation with other
naval forces and independent Navies”, said French Rear Admiral
Philippe Coindreau. He continued: “Admiral, the responsibility
of continuing the mission will soon be in your hands. I am
convinced that your command will be marked by significant
and fruitful actions”.
European Police Mission supports Afghanistan
to fight corruption
European Defence Agency helicopter tactics
symposium
The Afghan efforts to fight corruption are strongly supported
by the European Police Mission in Afghanistan. EUPOL has
established and manages an anti-corruption project office
within the Afghan Ministry of Interior where various anticorruption projects and training modules are coordinated.
Helicopter operators from 16 EU Member States gathered for
the first EDA Helicopter tactics symposium in Luxembourg
on 15-16 December. The symposium forms part of the EDA
Helicopter Training Programme (HTP). The HTP is at the end
of its first year of implementation, aiming at annual delivery
of two helicopter exercises and one tactics symposium. The
overall aim is to provide EDA’s participating member states
with training opportunities in order to increase their helicopter
capability for crisis management operations.
The establishment of six regional mobile anti-corruption
teams, now working throughout Afghanistan to support the
operational capability of the Inspector General of the Ministry
of Interior can be seen as an important step in effectively
fighting corruption. The six mobile teams, and 300 Ministry of
Interior Inspectors, have been trained in basic anti-corruption
investigation techniques. Read further
Publications - EU Institute for Security Studies
L’UE et l’Afrique : les défis de la cohérence
Économie, gouvernance, sécurité et multilatéralisme se
présentent comme les quatre côtés d’un carré dans lequel
évoluent les relations entre Européens et Africains. Malgré
les crises, les tendances sont là : croissance forte, nouveaux
investisseurs, accélération prévisible des mouvements et
des migrations, construction d’une jurisprudence et d’une
architecture continentale de sécurité. Lire le Cahier de Chaillot
Global Governance 2025: at a critical juncture
Global governance – the collective management of common
problems at the international level – is at a critical juncture.
Although global governance institutions have racked up many
successes since they were developed after the Second World
War, the growing number of issues on the international agenda,
and their complexity, is outpacing the ability of international
organisations and national governments to cope. Read further
Seasons greetings! Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année !
The next issue of EU Security and Defence news will be out at
the beginning of January 2011. We would like to wish you a
happy new year!
Le prochain numéro du bulletin hebdomadaire sur la PSDC sera
publié début janvier 2011. Nous vous souhaitons de joyeuses
fêtes de fin d’année !
© European Union 2010 The symposium was hosted by Luxembourg, expressing its
strong support of the EDA Helicopter Training Programme. The
aim of the two days event was to share experiences and best
practices from operations and to help shape future exercises
within the HTP to ensure that they reflect the real life challenges
identified and match the participating Member States’ training
requirements. More
EULEX: Kosovo Police’s key role during elections
“EULEX will mentor, monitor
and advise the Kosovo Police on
this very important day,” EULEX
Head, Bout de Marnhac, said on
9 December during a visit to the
Kosovo police regional police
Headquarters in Mitrovica to
discuss KP’s election preparations
for the 12 December balloting.
EULEX Head of Mission Bout de
Marnhac visiting Lipjan/Lipljan
police station
Kosovo Police General Director Reshat Maliqi thanked both
EULEX and his police officers from the Mitrovica region on their
close cooperation. “We are working together. I think that we
can achieve our goals as police officers – to help the citizens
and to provide security during election day in Mitrovica,” said
Maliqi. More
Upcoming activities
16-17 December - HR participates in the European Council,
Brussels
6 - 7 January 2011 - HR travels to Hungary for bilateral visits
and to meet the Hungarian EU Council presidency
CSDP Newsletter - issue 10 - Special issue - ESDP@10
EU Security and Defence on YouTube
www.esdp10years.eu
PRESS - EU Council Secretariat Tel: +32 (0)2 281 7640 / 6319 - [email protected]
TV Newsroom - www.consilium.europa.eu/csdp - www.consilium.europa.eu/psdc
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Les avis exprimés ne peuvent en aucun cas être considérés comme une position officielle du Conseil de l’Union européenne.
The views expressed are not to be taken in any way to represent the official position of the Council of the European Union.