Read more about the article The EU Military Committee: Dissecting the Reference Body for Inter-state Military Consultation and Cooperation on Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management.
Info Flash

The EU Military Committee: Dissecting the Reference Body for Inter-state Military Consultation and Cooperation on Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management.

At the Helsinki European Council on 10 and 11 December 1999, EU heads of state and government laid the foundations for various permanent political and military bodies: the Political and Security Committee (PSC), the EU Military Committee and Committee for Civilian Crisis Management. In the short and medium term, these actors would enable the EU to enforce its responsibilities in conflict prevention and crisis management. The Council of Ministers of the then-existing Western European Union outlined such responsibilities in the June 1992 Petersberg Declaration. It included humanitarian and rescue tasks, peace-keeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management.

Comments Off on The EU Military Committee: Dissecting the Reference Body for Inter-state Military Consultation and Cooperation on Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management.
1 August 2023
Read more about the article EU-NATO cooperation on cyber security, defence capabilities and capacity building: changes and continuities between the 7th and 8th progress report
Info Flash

EU-NATO cooperation on cyber security, defence capabilities and capacity building: changes and continuities between the 7th and 8th progress report

On June 16th 2023, NATO and the EU released their 8th progress report on the implementation of the common set of proposals endorsed by the respective Councils on December 6th 2016 and December 5th 2017. This info flash aims at identifying elements of change and continuity in bilateral cooperation dynamics compared to the 7th progress report published on June 20th 2022.On June 16th 2023, NATO and the EU released their 8th progress report on the implementation of the common set of proposals endorsed by the respective Councils on December 6th 2016 and December 5th 2017. This info flash aims at identifying elements of change and continuity in bilateral cooperation dynamics compared to the 7th progress report published on June 20th 2022.

Comments Off on EU-NATO cooperation on cyber security, defence capabilities and capacity building: changes and continuities between the 7th and 8th progress report
28 July 2023
Read more about the article Article 21 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: Undermining the Cluster Prohibition?
Info Flash

Article 21 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: Undermining the Cluster Prohibition?

A diplomatic conference leading to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CoCM) was held on 30 May 2008 with the aim of banning the use of cluster munitions for all countries that ratified the Convention. Currently, 111 states are parties to the Convention and 12 are signatories. Despite the high number of participants in the treaty, success remains relative as some key major powers including the United States and Russia are missing. Furthermore, there is an important nuance reflected in the treaty concluded in Article 21, which explains that parties to the treaty are allowed to cooperate militarily with states that do use these weapons that are prohibited by the Convention (Convention on Cluster Munitions, 2008). Why is there controversy regarding the use of cluster munition and what are the consequences of Article 21 CoCM?

Comments Off on Article 21 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: Undermining the Cluster Prohibition?
26 July 2023
Read more about the article NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Becomes Operational
News

NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Becomes Operational

On June 19th, 2023, NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) became operational (NATO, 2023a). DIANA is a platform which brings together representatives from state governments, private industry and academia to help innovators and businesses design start-ups and devise common standards to capitalise on emerging and disruptive technologies in accordance with NATO’s principles of responsible use, ranging from lawfulness and accountability to traceability and governability (DIANA, n.d.).

Comments Off on NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Becomes Operational
24 July 2023
Read more about the article Playing the Long Game: Hungarian Parliament Continues to delay Sweden’s NATO Accession Bid
News

Playing the Long Game: Hungarian Parliament Continues to delay Sweden’s NATO Accession Bid

On 28 June 2023, the Hungarian Parliament’s House Committee rejected a proposal to schedule a weekly plenary vote ratifying Sweden’s NATO membership bid (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2023). Incidentally, this is the final week of the chamber’s spring session, meaning that Parliamentarians will not return until the ordinary autumn sessions start in late August or early September. Therefore, the only chance to vote on Stockholm’s accession to the alliance is through an extraordinary session, which may only convene upon a motion by the President, the Government or one-fifth of the Parliament’s members (Hungarian National Assembly, n.d.).

Comments Off on Playing the Long Game: Hungarian Parliament Continues to delay Sweden’s NATO Accession Bid
14 July 2023