What is civilian CSDP?

The EU’s civilian missions of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) are a vital component of the European Union's (EU) strategy for addressing civilian crises worldwide. Under the EU flag, over 2,000 dedicated individuals work together to promote global security by preventing and managing conflicts and crises.

The civilian missions can address and react to a variety of situations. They can strengthen partner countries' capacities, monitor borders or boundaries in conflict zone, provide advice to national institutions like police, judiciary, or civilian administration and, if required, can take on an executive role. They can be deployed at any stage of the conflict cycle and are designed to be flexible, agile, and effective in achieving sustainable results.

Currently, the EU deploys 13 civilian missions in various locations. These missions exemplify the EU and its Member States' political commitment and provide tangible operational support to partners on the ground.

What is the Civilian CSDP Compact?

First adopted in November 2018, the EU's civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Compact united Member States, EEAS and Commission services in their commitment to strengthen civilian CSDP missions.

In this document, Member States agreed to step up their contribution to civilian CSDP including through increased deployments of experts to civilian missions, by increasing the number of women at all levels, and improving their national systems for secondment.

The Civilian CSDP Compact was the first comprehensive document that aimed to strengthen civilian CSDP. It aimed to ensure that the EU’s civilian missions are more capable, effective and joined-up.

What results have been achieved since 2018 under the implementation of the first Civilian CSDP Compact?

Since the adoption of the first Civilian CSDP Compact in 2018, significant progress has been made in various areas:

1. Increased visibility: The Compact has raised the profile of civilian CSDP at the political level, enhancing its presence in discussions within the EU and Member States.
2. New missions: Swift decision-making led to the launch of three new missions in the Central African Republic, Armenia, and Moldova, incorporating key elements enshrined in the Compact such as modular and scalable approaches and a focus on resilience, cyber, and hybrid threats.
3. Policy and procedural advancements: The Compact has introduced new policies, mechanisms, and procedures, providing better capabilities for civilian CSDP. Member States have adopted National Implementation Plans and established informal Member State-led clusters supported by the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management (CoE) in Berlin.
4. Gender balance progress: The percentage of women in overall staff numbers increased from 24% in December 2018 to almost 28% in February 2023.
5. Improved deployment and capabilities: Initiatives have been implemented to enable more rapid and effective staff deployment, including specialised teams, a revised recruitment and selection process system, the Strategic Warehouse, and the Mission Support Platform (MSP).
6. Enhanced cooperation: Civilian CSDP has become more integrated with JHA actors, including policy developments and working arrangements between Frontex and EUCAP Sahel Niger.

This process led by the European External Action Service has contributed to the ongoing progress in implementing the Compact. However, more work is needed to enhance the effectiveness of civilian CSDP and address the existing capabilities gap. The new Civilian CSDP Compact aims to tackle these challenges and build upon the successes achieved thus far.

How will the new Civilian CSDP Compact increase missions’ effectiveness?

The newly adopted Civilian CSDP Compact (22 May 2023) aims to further enhance the effectiveness and capabilities of civilian CSDP missions. EU Member States, the EEAS, and relevant Commission services have committed to:

• step further up their contributions to civilian CSDP,
• reach at least 40% women’s participation
• develop capabilities required for civilian CSDP missions,
• improve national systems and speed up decision-making process.
• be able to deploy 200 civilian experts to a crisis area within 30 days.

In line with the Strategic Compass, the new Civilian CSDP Compact builds on the achievements of the first Compact. The commitments enshrined in the new Civilian CSDP Compact are divided into four main areas.

• Increase the capacity to ACT rapidly and robustly
• SECURE host countries and civilian CSDP missions against fast-changing threats
• INVEST in more and better capabilities
• PARTNER with host countries as well as Third States and international organisations

By concentrating on these strategic areas, the new Civilian CSDP Compact aims to increase the effectiveness of current civilian missions and better address emerging security challenges.

What is new in the Civilian CSDP Compact adopted on 22 May?

The new Civilian CSDP Compact, adopted on 22 May 2023, aims to make civilian CSDP more effective, robust, and capable in response to the deteriorating security environment.

The New Civilian CSDP Compact provides several opportunities: 1) to build upon the achievements of the first Compact; 2) to increase the effectiveness of EU civilian missions; 3) to ensure that EU missions are fit for purpose, in light of changing security challenges, and are used to the best of their potential.

The Compact includes a civilian capability development process to be set-up by 2024 to assess the capability needs, develop requirements, conduct a gap analysis and review periodically the progress made in line with the new Civilian CSDP Compact.

The new Civilian CSDP Compact is an actionable document that provides concrete deliverables and timelines.

Key features of the new Civilian CSDP Compact include

• The independent evaluation of the missions
• A modular and scalable approach to missions ensuring their ability to adapt to partners’ needs
• Increased responsiveness and level of readiness by being able to deploy 200 experts within 30 days
• A strengthened Headquarters for civilian missions
• Enhanced resilience to hybrid and cyber threats, as well as foreign information manipulation and interference
• The mainstreaming of climate change and environmental degradation and working towards climate neutral missions
• A structured and regular civilian capability development process
• Enhanced partnerships with the UN, OSCE, the AU, etc.

The new Compact was negotiated by Member States in the spring of 2023 and represents a major step forward in strengthening civilian CSDP.

How can the proper resourcing of the civilian CSDP missions be ensured?

Ensuring the proper resourcing of civilian CSDP missions relies on continued political commitment from EU Member States, as these missions depend on their staff contributions.

To transform political will into concrete actions, the European Union and its Member States must invest more in the necessary capabilities to meet their ambitions. This investment is particularly crucial if the EU aims to strengthen civilian actions and act in accordance with the ambition set out in the Strategic Compass.

By maintaining political commitment, demonstrating the effectiveness of CSDP as a tool, and investing in essential capabilities, the EU can ensure proper resourcing for civilian CSDP missions and achieve its strategic goals.

What will happen now?

The new Civilian CSDP Compact is set to be fully delivered by mid-2027. To achieve this, the European External Action Service (EEAS), relevant Commission services, and Member States will work together to implement the new Compact. As part of the process, all Member States will need to update their National Implementation Plans.

The first Annual Review Conference will be held in November 2023. This will allow Member States to evaluate the progress made and plan their work for the upcoming year. Moreover, by 2024, the EEAS and Member States will establish a regular and structured capability development process. This process will involve assessing capability needs, developing requirements, conducting gap analyses, and periodically reviewing the progress made to ensure the effective implementation of the Civilian CSDP Compact.