Page 53 - ID - Informazioni della Difesa n. 05-2024 - Supplemento

MARCH 2024
#EUDefence
#StrategicCompass

PERMANENT STRUCTURED
COOPERATION - PESCO

DEEPENING DEFENCE COOPERATION AMONG EU MEMBER STATES

Launched in 2017, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is a key framework for the 26 participating Member
States to jointly develop defence capabilities, coordinate investments, as well as enhance the operational readiness,
interoperability and resilience of their armed forces. PESCO is mainly implemented through commitments and collaborative
projects. It contributes to the implementation of the Strategic Compass and increases EU’s ability to address current and
new security challenges.
DEEPENING DEFENCE COOPERATION THROUGH BINDING COMMITMENTS

In light of the geopolitical context, PESCO brings clear added-value in addressing the EU’s defence capability and operational
needs. It aims at delivering critical capabilities with more operational focus, enhancing Member States’ ability to address
conventional threats and delivering next generation capabilities. It builds synergies with other defence initiatives and
instruments such as the EU Capability Development Priorities (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), and
the European Defence Fund (EDF) and plays a central role in EU defence cooperation.

26 Member States undertook
20 more binding commitments in PESCO
With the PESCO commitments, the participating Member States are increasing their defence spending and investment
expenditures, aligning national processes, enhancing the availability and interoperability of forces, and collaborating
in capability development, training and exercises.

68 on-going projects

The projects developed in the context of PESCO cover domains such as training, land, maritime, air, cyber, space, and
joint enablers. They bring Member States together to develop new capabilities, to train and exercise together or pool
expertise in certain areas. In May 2023 eleven new projects were adopted, aiming inter alia at better protecting critical
seabed infrastructure, enabling capabilities in the area of communications and medical support tailored to the EU Rapid
Deployment Capacity. Find more information on all 68 PESCO projects, participating Member States and third countries
on the PESCO website.

Key EU partners participate in PESCO projects

While membership in PESCO is open only to EU Member States, third States can participate in PESCO projects upon
certain conditions, e.g., the United States, Canada and Norway take part in the Military Mobility project; the United
Kingdom was invited to this project, and Canada – to a second project on Network of Logistic Hubs. By enabling the
cooperation with third countries within individual PESCO projects on concrete issues, PESCO is also facilitating
transatlantic and EU-NATO cooperation.

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