| ● Council of the EU | | | 12/12/2022 16:05 | Press release | | | | | In light of the changing geopolitical landscape, including the emergence or escalation of conflicts around the European Union and Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, the rise of revisionist actions and the persistence of instability and transnational threats, the Council highlights the significant contribution of the civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to international peace and stability. It expresses its gratitude to the women and men serving in civilian CSDP missions. The Council recalls the adoption of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence in March 2022 and reaffirms its full commitment to strengthen civilian CSDP through a new Civilian CSDP Compact to be adopted by mid-2023. Four years ago, the adoption of the Civilian CSDP Compact marked a step-change. The Council commends the positive results achieved since its adoption, including at national level by the member states and by the EEAS and Commission services, as well as the important work done by all civilian CSDP missions. It reiterates the importance of ensuring implementation of the Compact by early summer 2023. Building on almost twenty years of experience, positive results and lessons learnt under the Civilian CSDP Compact, including the swift adaptation of civilian CSDP activities in Ukraine, the Council calls for a renewed impetus towards civilian CSDP. It calls for enhancing the effectiveness of civilian CSDP missions, enabling them to tackle more efficiently current, emerging and future security challenges in the framework of the EU Integrated Approach to external Conflicts and Crises. The Council recalls the need for the European Union to take more responsibility for its own security by acting in its neighbourhood and beyond. The Council recalls the Feira priorities of strengthening police, rule of law and civil administration in fragile and conflict settings, underlining as well the importance of Security Sector Reform (SSR) and monitoring tasks. The Council reaffirms that the European Union should continue to be capable of undertaking various types of civilian CSDP missions within the whole spectrum of crisis management tasks as laid down in Art. 42 and 43 TEU, including monitoring, capacity building and advising as well as executive types of missions. In order to preserve the flexibility to act, it calls for a modular and scalable approach to define the size of civilian CSDP missions. It emphasises that the size and number of missions will be determined based on the evolving needs on the ground as well as the European Union’s and the member states’ priorities and capabilities. The Council and the member states reiterate their commitment to provide an increased contribution to ensure efficient resourcing of civilian CSDP missions. The Council calls for a new Civilian CSDP Compact with the overall aim to: Increase our capacity to ACT rapidly and robustly to support counterparts in missions’ theatres: - By enhancing effectiveness and flexibility, including through clear and adaptable mandates, providing well-defined end states and transition strategies, as well as developing Knowledge Management capabilities;
- By striving for swift decision-making processes with the aim of further increasing the responsiveness of civilian CSDP and by exploring other possibilities to provide more targeted support to host countries;
- By establishing independent evaluation of the impact and performance of missions, that feeds into the strategic reviews of missions, on the basis of an Options Paper to be presented by the EEAS by early 2023;
- By further developing and implementing a modular and scalable approach building on available tools, including tailored sequential or plug-in deployments, and rapid response tools such as Specialised Teams and Visiting Experts. By utilising as well multinational formations such as the European Gendarmerie Force or a group of member states acting in the framework of Art. 44 TEU as appropriate and in accordance with CSDP decision-making;
- By systematically mainstreaming human rights and exercising human rights due diligence in compliance with international human rights law, as well as promoting the Children and Armed Conflict Agenda;
- By promoting gender equality and systematically mainstreaming a gender perspective, based on gender analysis, in all planning and actions, and focusing on the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all functions, including leadership positions, while promoting UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and its subsequent resolutions;– By further operationalising the Integrated Approach, including by strengthening links with Commission services and programmes as well as with EU Delegations, throughout planning, implementation and transition phases;
- By paying increased attention to conflict sensitivity through recurrent conflict analysis, situational awareness and early warning, and utilising mediation and dialogue tools for conflict prevention, in line with the EU Peace Mediation Concept;
- By strengthening the internal-external security nexus through increased cooperation between civilian CSDP and Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) actors at member states’ and EU level, fully in line with the competences, budgetary considerations and legal bases of each instrument, inter alia by operationalising mini-concepts, increasing relevant expertise and convening dedicated meetings of relevant Council preparatory bodies;
- By fostering synergies and complementarity between the civilian and military dimensions of CSDP, including in areas of policy, capability development, training and the operational planning and conduct of missions deployed in the same theatre, including logistics, medical and other support;
- By strengthening the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability as the headquarters for civilian CSDP missions, including through continuing its reform.
Secure host countries and civilian CSDP missions against fast-changing threats to respond to external conflicts and crises, to build the capacities of partners, and to protect the European Union and its citizens: - By contributing to the EU’s wider response to tackle security challenges, including those linked to irregular migration, terrorism and radicalisation, organised crime, border management and maritime security, as well as preventing and countering violent extremism, also taking into account the need to preserve and protect cultural heritage;
- By strengthening resilience to hybrid threats, cyber-attacks and foreign information manipulation and interference, including by secure communications;
- By promoting the rule of law and accountability, including by strengthening the justice chain and capabilities to respond effectively to security challenges;
- By mainstreaming climate change and environmental degradation, as it relates to security challenges, while taking concrete steps to reduce the footprint of the missions with the aim to achieve climate-neutrality by 2050 in line with the goals set out under the European Green Deal.
Invest in more and better capabilities: - The Council and member tates reiterate their commitment to provide increased contributions through strengthening national procedures such as decision-making, financing and legislation, as appropriate, using National Implementation Plans (NIP) and informal NIP-clusters, with the support of the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management, where relevant;
- By increasing jointly the number of seconded experts in the missions, aiming to raise their total share to at least 70 percent of international staff, with a particular emphasis on increasing seconded staff in operational positions, stressing the responsibility of all member states towards reaching this goal, while being mindful of their capabilities;
- By calling upon the EEAS to develop, together with Commission services and member states, a structured and regular civilian capability development process by 2024;
- By enhancing civilian CSDP’s Human Resources Management, including by (a) developing further the selection and recruitment policy and procedures, including by promoting more versatile profiles, (b) significantly increasing women’s participation in civilian CSDP, in line with the commitments of the Strategic Compass, (c) enhancing availability and participation of national experts in civilian CSDP missions, e.g. by better integrating their participation in career paths and exploring possibilities for seconding entry-level experts to missions, (d) working on the review of the employment status of international contractual staff;
- By developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment and conducting necessary revisions of policies and procedures, including by revising and fully applying the Code of Conduct;
- By enhancing responsiveness with the aim of being able to deploy 200 experts within 30 days, including to complex environments;
- By ensuring a more robust and realistic CFSP budget that matches the needs of new and ongoing civilian CSDP missions and its rapid, flexible and cost-efficient use to support them, ensuring sound financial management and careful prioritisation of existing resources;
- By training national experts and mission personnel in line with the CSDP Training Policy and the CSDP Training Programme and assessing the current CSDP training architecture, under the guidance of the EU Civilian Training Group, building on the role of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), to enhance the connection between training and deployment, as well as standardised training and the exchange of lessons and good practices, while creating synergies with relevant Commission-funded projects;
- By following a more systematic approach towards technological innovation for Civilian CSDP.
Partner with host countries as well as Third States and international organisations: - By stressing the importance of local ownership throughout the implementation of the missions’ mandates and the demand-driven nature of civilian CSDP, to ensure effective and sustainable results and to contribute to the resilience, stability and security of host countries;
- By seeking synergies and enhancing cooperation with civil society at all levels;
- By enhancing partnerships with like-minded Third States that share EU values and objectives and international and regional organisations, in particular the UN, building on the EU-UN priorities on crisis management, NATO and the OSCE, with full respect to the EU’s institutional framework and agreed procedures.
The Council stresses the importance of tailor-made strategic communication towards local stakeholders, national counterparts and the general public in order to enhance the visibility, underline the benefit, and increase public support of civilian CSDP, as well as to counter foreign interference and manipulation of information campaigns against EU interests. For these purposes, as well as to ensure political ownership, the Council highlights the need for regular discussions on civilian CSDP at ministerial level, including at the Foreign Affairs Council. The Council looks forward to the adoption of a new Civilian CSDP Compact by May 2023. It should encompass concrete commitments and timelines by member states, the EEAS and the Commission services. The Council invites the High Representative, in close consultation with the member states and in cooperation with the Commission, to take this work forward within the relevant frameworks. Civilian CSDP Compact: Council conclusions commend progress (press release, 13 December 2021) Civilian Compact, EEAS website
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| ● Council of the EU | | | 12/12/2022 14:56 | Press release | | | | | Recalling the November 2016 and February 2019 Council conclusions, the European Union reconfirms its resolute commitment to human rights in its policy towards Iran. The European Union expresses its support for the fundamental aspiration of the people of Iran for a future where their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled. In this context, the European Union acknowledges the leading role of women and youth in calling for the defence of these norms and values. The European Union strongly condemns the widespread, brutal and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian authorities against peaceful protesters, including women and children, leading to the loss of hundreds of lives, in clear breach of the fundamental principles enshrined in international law. The right to peaceful assembly must be ensured. The European Union condemns restrictions on communications, including Internet shutdowns, and calls upon Iran to ensure the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and share information and ideas, online and offline. The European Union urges Iranian authorities to uphold their international obligations under international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to both of which Iran is a party. The European Union calls on the Iranian authorities to cease their widespread resort to arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices and release all those unjustly detained in relation to the exercise of their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, including recently arrested protesters as well as children, journalists and human rights defenders. The European Union firmly condemns the widespread use of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees in Iranian prisons, reminds the Iranian authorities that the prohibition of torture is absolute under international law and reiterates its call on Iran to ratify without delay the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The European Union strongly urges Iran to implement the relevant international treaties and agreements to which it is a party and calls upon Iran to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of systemic discrimination against women and girls in public and private life and to take gender-responsive measures to prevent and ensure protection for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms. At the same time, the European Union reiterates its firm call on the Iranian authorities to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Iranians, including persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. The European Union calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the strongly condemnable practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters as well as to annul without delay the recent death penalty sentences that were already pronounced in the context of the ongoing protests and to provide due process to all detainees. The European Union strongly opposes the use of the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances, as an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. The European Union urges Iran to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of capital punishment. The persistent impunity for grave human rights violations in Iran is contributing to the increasing grievances of the population. The European Union will continue to demand that the perpetrators of violence and human rights violations be held accountable and to call on the Iranian authorities to allow for an independent investigation into the widely reported and documented human rights violations, and ensure accountability for perpetrators as also called upon by UNGA 3rd Committee Resolution of November 2022. As a first step, we call on Iran to allow free, full and unhindered access to the country for relevant UN Human Rights Special Procedures mandate holders and to fully cooperate with the independent international Fact-Finding Mission established by the Human Rights Council on 24 November 2022. The European Union will continue to use all available avenues to hold the Iranian authorities to account. The European Union strongly rejects Iran’s practice of arbitrary detention of foreign citizens, including dual nationals, and calls upon Iran to end the distressing practice of detaining innocent foreign civilians with a view to making political gains. The European Union reminds Iran of its international obligations under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations and urges the Iranian authorities to abide by these obligations. The European Union will continue to address any issue of concern, including in relation to the way the Iranian authorities are handling the ongoing protest, taking into account all options at its disposal, inclusive of additional restrictive measures. The European Union strongly condemns and considers unacceptable any type of Iran’s military support, including deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs - “drones”), to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, which grossly violates international law and the principles of the UN Charter. These weapons provided by Iran are being used indiscriminately by Russia against Ukrainian civilian population and infrastructure causing horrendous destruction and human suffering. In this context, the European Union recalls that any transfer of certain combat drones and missiles to or from Iran without prior permission by the UN Security Council are in violation of UNSCR 2231. The European Union continues to support the ongoing work by the UN Secretariat team responsible for monitoring the implementation of UNSCR 2231. The European Union notes with great concern the reports of Iranian weapons, including drones, being manufactured with components of international origin, including from Europe, and is considering the appropriate measures to take. The European Union strongly cautions Iran against any new deliveries of weapons to Russia, in particular any steps towards possible transfers of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which would constitute a serious escalation. The European Union will continue to respond to all actions supporting the Russian aggression against Ukraine and hold Iran accountable including through additional restrictive measures. The European Union reiterates its clear determination that Iran must never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon, and recalls Iran’s commitments in that respect and its international obligations.
The European Union is deeply concerned by the successive IAEA reports documenting the alarming acceleration of Iran’s nuclear programme that gravely departs from its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments, in particular with regard to the expansion of its nuclear enrichment capacity and production of highly enriched uranium. Iran’s actions, which have no credible civilian justification, carry very significant proliferation-related risks. The European Union strongly urges Iran to reverse its alarming nuclear trajectory, to return to its political commitments in the field of nuclear non-proliferation without further delay, and to resume all JCPoA-related monitoring and verification measures, including its Additional Protocol. Concerning outstanding safeguards issues, the European Union recalls the resolutions adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on 8 June and 17 November 2022 and calls upon Iran to urgently fulfil its legal obligations, including under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), by providing technically credible explanations and grant necessary access. Timely and full cooperation with the IAEA remains absolutely crucial. Furthermore, the European Union underscores that the JCPoA is separate from Iran’s legally binding obligations under the NPT, which are essential to the global non-proliferation regime. The European Union reaffirms its commitment to, and continued support for, the full and effective implementation of a restored JCPoA. However, the risk of a nuclear non-proliferation crisis in the region has increased as a result of Iran’s nuclear trajectory. In this context, the European Union regrets that, despite political support by the EU member States and intense international diplomatic efforts to restore the full implementation of the JCPoA including negotiations in Vienna facilitated by the EU High Representative as Coordinator of the JCPoA Joint Commission, Iran has not made the necessary decisions and not taken the necessary steps, continues to escalate its nuclear programme and makes it increasingly difficult to reach a deal. As a key security priority the EU will continue to invest diplomatically and politically to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. The EU calls on all countries to support the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015). Promoting peace and stability and achieving de-escalation of tensions in the wider Gulf region as well as in the broader Middle East are key priorities for the EU. The JCPoA aims to contribute in this regard. Ensuring an exclusively peaceful character of the Iranian nuclear programme could contribute to regional stability and security. Efforts to build confidence should be inclusive. While they should be region-led, the EU remains ready to engage with all actors in the region in a gradual and inclusive approach, in full transparency and with the ultimate objective to facilitate a dialogue process that can help to develop confidence-building measures and arrangements, which provide for greater security in the wider Gulf region, including maritime safety and security. The regional Baghdad Conference on Cooperation and Partnership, and its follow-up process with EU involvement, could serve as a useful example for region-led processes. While Iran is central to security in the region, the European Union condemns Iran’s continued destabilising activities in and around the Middle East. These include Iran’s activities with ballistic and cruise missiles, UAVs, and transfers of such advanced weaponry to state and non-state actors. UNSC Resolution 2231 (2015) calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic technology. Such activity, including using space launch vehicles, could pave the way for the development of long-range or intercontinental ballistic missiles. All these actions constitute an important and increasing source of regional instability and risk further escalating already existing high tensions. The EU urges Iran to fully abide by UNSCR 2231 (2015). The European Union urges Iran to cease these destabilising activities in the form of political, military or financial support, including to non-state actors, in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. It calls upon Iran to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours and to fully abide by all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), including UNSCR 661, 1483, 1540, 1546, 1701, 2216 and 2231. The European Union urges Iran to stop all actions or attempts that disrupt or threaten the safety and freedom of navigation in and around maritime routes in the wider Gulf region and respect applicable international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The European Union calls upon Iran to abide by its international obligations. Against the background of the grave actions by Iran on a wide range of issues as expressed above, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to a comprehensive policy approach considering all options at its disposal: critical where necessary, and ready to engage, on the basis of mutual respect, where interests align. Iran restrictive measure (background information) |
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Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers meeting, 12 December 2022
