EU ministers of defence on 06 March formally adopted the list of 17 projects for “permanent structured cooperation” (PESCO) in the field of defence, as well as a roadmap for the implementation of PESCO.

The Council of the EU today adopted a roadmap for the implementation of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). PESCO foresees the possibility of a number of EU member states working more closely together in the area of security and defence in a binding and permanent framework. A first important step in this regard was taken end of last year, when ministers from 25 member states signed a joint notification indicating their willingness to move forward on PESCO and handed it over to the High Representative and the Council.

The roadmap adopted now provides strategic direction and guidance on how to structure further work on both processes and governance, including for projects and in relation to the sequencing of the fulfilment of commitments. It sets out a calendar for review and assessment of national implementation plans which detail how participating member states plan to fulfil the more binding commitments. The Council also adopted a decision formally establishing the initial list of 17 collaborative projects, which were agreed politically in December 2017. The projects cover areas such as training, capability development and operational readiness in the field of defence.