BRUSSELS, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Nov, 2020) The EU Council today established the general conditions under which non-EU countries could exceptionally be invited to participate in individual Permanent Structured Cooperation, PESCO, projects, thereby paving the way for stronger and more ambitious defence cooperation with partners in the EU framework.
Thanks to today’s decision third states that can add value to a PESCO project may be invited to participate if they meet a number of political, substantive and legal conditions, said the Council in a statement.
For instance, it explained, the country applying for a project must share the values on which the EU is founded, must not contravene the security and defence interests of the EU and its member states, and must have an agreement to exchange classified information with the EU, among others.
This further step in the consolidation of PESCO will enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy and strengthen its capacity to act as a security provider, together with its partners.
The Permanent Structured Cooperation, PESCO, one of the building blocks of the EU’s Defence policy, was set up in 2017 to enable EU member states to work more closely together in the area of security and defence.
To date 25 EU Member States have undertaken the more binding commitments that form the basis of PESCO. There are currently 47 collaborative projects in various areas: training facilities, land formation systems, maritime and air systems, cyber, and enabling joint multiple services or space.
