Council of European Union agrees rules for third-state participation in PESCO
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- Date: 12.11.2020
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After two years of negotiations on third-state participation in PESCO, the Council of the European Union adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1639 of 5 November 2020. Thanks to the Council Decision, third states and their entities (e.g. industrial companies and research institutes) will be able to fully participate in PESCO projects. This agreement opens up new opportunities to markedly strengthen cooperation on the EU’s key defence initiatives with strategic EU partners.
Since the establishment of PESCO in 2017, Slovakia has supported the flexible involvement of strategic partners in PESCO projects and the coherence of initiatives with NATO. However, negotiations over the issue were prolonged considerably, as several EU Member States took, over the long run, a position pointing to the risks associated with the participation of some partners in this European project.
The general conditions for third states include sharing the principles and values of the European Union, the goals of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and a contribution to strengthening the Common Security and Defence Policy. From a legal viewpoint, the third-state admission process requires that the third state must have a Security of Information Agreement with the EU in force and, if a PESCO project is implemented with the support of EDA, it must also negotiate an Administrative Agreement with EDA.
After meeting a set of conditions, a third-country participant is invited by project members to join a PESCO project. Compliance with the conditions must also be approved unanimously by the Council. If so, project members will negotiate an administrative arrangement with the state seeking participation.
Since the establishment of PESCO in 2017, Slovakia has supported the flexible involvement of strategic partners in PESCO projects and the coherence of initiatives with NATO. However, negotiations over the issue were prolonged considerably, as several EU Member States took, over the long run, a position pointing to the risks associated with the participation of some partners in this European project.
The general conditions for third states include sharing the principles and values of the European Union, the goals of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and a contribution to strengthening the Common Security and Defence Policy. From a legal viewpoint, the third-state admission process requires that the third state must have a Security of Information Agreement with the EU in force and, if a PESCO project is implemented with the support of EDA, it must also negotiate an Administrative Agreement with EDA.
After meeting a set of conditions, a third-country participant is invited by project members to join a PESCO project. Compliance with the conditions must also be approved unanimously by the Council. If so, project members will negotiate an administrative arrangement with the state seeking participation.
