Unterausschuss für Sicherheit und Verteidigung (SEDE) - Europäisches Parlament

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Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Item 12: Military cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe - Presentation by General Andrzej Falkowski, Polish Military Representative to NATO : [EN]
Item 12: Military cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe - Presentation by Colonel Serhii Rechych, Defence Adviser, Mission of Ukraine to the EU : [EN]
Item 13: The future of EU Battlegroups - Presentation by General Daniel Grammatico, Director Operations, EU Military Staff : [EN]
Item 14: The European Security and Defence College as a key training provider in the field of CSDP - Presentation by Dirk Dubois, Head of the ESDC : [EN]
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On 25 January, the SEDE committee invited Brigadier General Daniel Grammatico, Director Operations at the EU Military Staff and Niklas Novaky, visiting researcher at VUB Brussels, to discuss the future of EU battlegroups. In the light of the recent push for more cooperation in the field of European security and defence, these experts exchanged views with the members of the committee on what can be done to make the battlegroups more operational and their actual use more likely.
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Draft agenda and meeting documents
Presentation by Brigadier General Daniel Grammatico, Director Operations, EU Military Staff
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

On 26 January, Dirk Dubois, Head of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), Michael Swann, Chair of the ESDC Steering Committee and Antonio Missiroli, Head of the ESDC’s Academic Board met with the SEDE committee to discuss the contribution of the college to the EU's CSDP activities. The college's training activities prepare both policymakers and mission staff for the activities involved in the full life-cycle of CSDP missions and aim to create a European security culture.
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Draft agenda and meeting documents
Presentation by Dirk Dubois, Head of the European Security and Defence College
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
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Defence cooperation in the EU is now more dependent on political will than on legal considerations, say the Foreign Affairs and Constitutional Affairs committees in a joint resolution passed on Thursday.
Subcommittee on Security and Defence
Committee on Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Foreign Affairs

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On 6 February, the Subcommittee exchanged views with Ivanna Klympush-Tsindsadze, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, on the deterioration of the security situation in the East of Ukraine, in particular around Avdiivka.
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for further information: Article on EU-Russia relations: a key strategic challenge
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will take place on Thursday 9 March 2017, 9:00-12:30 in Brussels.

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The worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine, where heavy fighting with pro-Russian rebels recently broke out in the government-controlled town of Avdiivka, were debated by Security and Defence Subcommittee MEPs on Monday with Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. MEPs urged Russia to stop testing the West’s reactions and to go on implementing the Minsk agreements.
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

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Today at 15:00, the Subcommittee will exchange views with Ivanna Klympush-Tsindsadze, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, on the deterioration of the security situation in the East of Ukraine, in particular around Avdiivka.
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Revised draft agenda
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The EU sees its relation with Russia as a ‘key strategic challenge’, and is alarmed by Moscow’s violations of international commitments and military activity. Russian recent strategic documents give indications about its world vision and security concerns, pointing to a tension between Russia’s internal weaknesses and its ‘center of influence’ ambition in the new world order. Seen as a challenger to such aspiration, the EU has an interest in also pursuing dialogue and cooperative engagement.
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Draft agenda and meeting documents
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Since the EU adopted its Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2005, it has focused on forging closer ties with third countries in the fight against terrorism. Cooperation with the Southern Neighbourhood in this field is particularly important. Every single country within this region is affected by terrorism to different degrees and terrorist attacks on European soil are increasingly linked with the Middle East and North Africa. The EU adopted a wide-ranging counter-terrorism approach in the South including actions that go beyond the strictly military and security interpretations of counter-terrorism. In line with the UN’s 4-pillar approach, the EU’s counter-terrorism measures can be broadly subdivided into four fields: (i) building state capacity (particularly in the areas of border control, criminal investigation and prosecution, and countering the financing of terrorism); (ii) strengthening the rule of law and respect for human rights; (iii) fostering regional cooperation; and (iv) preventing and combating terrorism. This study outlines and contextualises current counter-terrorism activities in the region.
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On 6 February, the SEDE committee invites Herbert Salber, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, EEAS, Natalie Sabanadze, Ambassador of Georgia to the EU and Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre, Brussels, to discuss the new developments in the increasing Russian influence in the South Caucasus.
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Draft agenda and meeting documents
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The European Union sees its relationship with Russia as a ‘key strategic challenge’. Its members are alarmed by Russia’s violations of international commitments and increased military activity in Europe. Russian recently updated basic strategic documents are full of indications about Moscow’s world vision and security concerns. They indirectly point to a tension between Russia’s internal (economic, demographic, societal) weaknesses and its claim to be recognized as one of the ‘centers of influence’ in the emerging multipolar world order. The West, including the EU, is clearly perceived as the major challenger to both Russia’s great power ambition and security. At the same time, various indicators suggest that Moscow is probably not fully confident that it will obtain a gratifying role in the emerging new international landscape. All this has led Russia to rely massively on its restored military capabilities, while pursuing a very active diplomacy, in which the relative importance of the EU has declined in recent years. The EU nonetheless has an important role to play in promoting the second engine of the ‘double-track Russia strategy’ that the West (the EU, NATO, the United States) has been pursuing –– strengthening defenses on the one hand, pursuing dialogue and cooperative engagement on the other hand.
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will take place on Monday 6 February 2017, 15:00-18:30 in Brussels.

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