ESDC, CMPD and CPCC attend Conference on "Moving Civilian Crisis Management Forward" in Potsdam
From 24th to 26th October 2018, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) organised a closed door conference next to Berlin at which the future of civilian CSDP was discussed in the context of Europe's changing security environment, the ambitions of the EU Global Strategy and the thereby arising challenges to be addressed and included in the forthcoming CSDP Compact.
The event brought together experts and practitioners from EU institutions, Member States, think tanks and CSDP missions in the field. An open and constructive atmosphere provided room for detailed discussions and created common understandings on important points.
Negotiations on the Compact are now entering the decisive phase. The conference has provided space to foster the common understanding among Member States on sensitive aspects. Discussions revealed strong political will among member states to strengthen and improve civilian CSDP. Participants stressed that political will needs to be translated into action on the ground.
An ambitious Compact will only be the starting point to making civilian CSDP fit for the future. The broad support for civilian CSDP expressed during the conference will need to be carried on for the next steps in 2019 and beyond.
Photos © Copyright – DGAP/Dirk Enters