European Union Training Mission Somalia PRESS SUMMARY 14th June 2018 “In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 New European Peace Facility worth €10.5 billion to bolster international security 13/06/2018 To bolster the EU's ability to safeguard European security interests and prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security, EU High Representative Mogherini on 13 June proposed a new European Peace Facility worth €10.5 billion for 2021-2027. Announced on 13 June by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini with the support of the European Commission, the proposed European Peace Facility (EPF) is part of a package of measures designed to boost the EU's security and defence capabilities. "The European Peace Facility, noted the High Representative, would allow the EU to be much more efficient in deploying our military missions, but also to better support our partners in dealing with our shared security challenges." In addition to the EPF, A €13 billion European Defence Fund will provide the financial firepower for cross-border investments in state-of-the-art and fully interoperable technology and equipment in areas such as encrypted software and drone technology. The European Peace Facility The proposed European Peace Facility is a new off-budget fund worth €10.5 billion over a seven-year period coinciding with the timeframe of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It should substantially enhance the Union's ability to finance operational actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) that have military or defence implications, and that therefore cannot be financed under the EU budget. It would draw EUTM - SOMALIA 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 together and enhance existing off-budget mechanisms devoted to security and defence, thereby overcoming their gaps and limitations. It is proposed that the EPF will: Fund the common costs of EU military operations under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Contribute to the financing of military peace support operations led by other international actors. Engage in broader actions aimed at supporting partner countries' armed forces with infrastructure, equipment or military assistance, as well as in other operational actions under the Union's CFSP with military or defence implications, when so decided by the Council. Next steps On 12 June the Commission College agreed to support the EPF proposal, which will now be submitted to the Council by the High Representative. The aim would be to establish this Facility in 2020 with the first budget for 2021. Background The High Representative/Vice-President's speech at the “Building on vision, forward to action: delivering on EU security and defence” event (Solvay library, 13 December 2017) raised the idea of an off-budget European Peace Facility. The 14 February Commission Communication on 'A new, modern MFF for a EU that delivers efficiently on its priorities post-2020' builds on this, referencing a 'separate funding mechanism of around EUR 10 billion for the 2021-2027 period [that] would significantly increase the EU's ability to financially support CFSP actions with defence implications. This would compare to up to EUR 3.5 billion under the current period.' The 2 May Commission Communication 'A Modern Budget for a Union that Protects, Empowers and Defends' also references the European Peace Facility. EUTM - SOMALIA 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 The EPF will be complementary to other EU programmes with a security and defence focus or component, including a €13 billion European Defence Fund and the budget of €6.5 billion earmarked in the Connecting Europe Facility to enhance the EU's strategic transport infrastructure to make it fit for military mobility. https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/46331/new-european- peace-facility-worth-%E2%82%AC105-billion-bolster-international-security_en EUTM - SOMALIA 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 Arms trade: EU adopts comprehensive approach to scourge of illicit weapons 13/06/2018 - Illicit weapons are a threat to us all. They contribute to terrorism and organised crime within the EU. They also undermine the EU’s development and humanitarian efforts in parts of our neighbourhood and Africa. EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and the European Commission today adopted a joint proposal for a comprehensive EU Strategy against illicit firearms, small arms and light weapons (SALW). Powerful, military-grade firearms in the hands of terrorists, criminals and other unauthorised actors pose a serious threat to our security. Illicit firearms have been used in several terrorist attacks in Europe. In the EU's neighbourhood many conflicts are fuelled by the proliferation of illicit weapons. These conflicts cause significant suffering for the populations concerned. A total of almost 800 million people are estimated to be deprived of sufficient food due to armed conflict. The proposal, or "Joint Communication", tabled today sets out clear objectives and concrete measures to tackle the problem. It recognises the many actors, issues and cross-border dimensions that play a role in the context of illicit arms trade and therefore recommends a full set of action points to tackle the issue from all sides in a comprehensive way. A multitude of different stakeholders need to be considered and involved such as police, customs, border guards, armed forces, export control bodies, manufacturers or judicial authorities. Addressing the trade of illicit arms effectively means that all of these need to exchange information and cooperate closely. Also, the issues do not just concern individual EUTM - SOMALIA 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 countries but all relevant countries as a group. Trade in illicit arms is indeed often transnational in nature with national, regional and global dimensions. It needs to be tackled at all of these levels. In addition, it is crucial that measures address all phases in the life cycle of firearms: manufacture, trade, export, stockpiling and disposal. Against this background, the Joint Communication constitutes an important step forward. It proposes a set of objectives and actions for an EU Strategy against illicit firearms, small arms, light weapons and their ammunition. Once adopted by the EU Member States, the new strategy will replace an earlier but in many aspects by now outdated EU Strategy of 2005. The EU Strategy will be closely connected with the United Nations Programme of Action against the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons that will be discussed in New York in the last two weeks of June 2018. The initiative to counter illicit arms is one element in the EU’s toolbox to tackle today’s complex security challenges. High Representative Mogherini presented in 2016 an overarching EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy that foresees an integrated and joined-up approach across internal and external policy dimensions, between Member States and EU Institutions as well as with regional and international institutions. Since then, a multitude of different initiatives in the areas of security and defence have been launched, including enhanced cooperation with NATO and the beefing-up of EU autonomous security and defence capabilities. https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/46425/arms-trade-eu- adopts-comprehensive-approach-scourge-illicit-weapons_en EUTM - SOMALIA 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 New EU 'peace fund' could buy weapons 13th June 2018 - The EU wants to pay for military equipment, including lethal weaponry, for partner countries in crisis zones such as Africa's Sahel region as part of a $12.4 billion ‘peace facility’ launched on 13 June. The bloc says the new European Peace Facility (EPF) is needed to make its training missions in three African countries more effective and to enable it to contribute to peacekeeping efforts elsewhere in the world. But the EU paying for arms is a sensitive issue for some member states, especially when it involves countries with histories of political unrest and human rights abuses, and there could be resistance to the proposal. The new EPF is being kept separate from the main EU budget to get around the bloc's rules against funding military projects. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the EPF – which needs approval by all of the bloc's member countries – would make it easier to help stabilise restive countries like Mali, Somalia and the Central African Republic. Mogherini said: ‘The world is living in difficult times and this calls for a European Union responsibility and role on the global scene. Both Europeans and our partners in the world expect the EU to be more and more a security provider in our region and beyond.’ The proposal, made by the European Commission, the bloc's powerful executive arm, would see partner countries given ‘comprehensive support’, which officials said could include weapons. Decisions about what to spend EPF money on would be taken by member states themselves, through the European Council. An EU official told AFP that any decision to pay for weapons would take into account the bloc's human rights values and only in ‘very specific cases and after careful checking.’ Arms would only be provided as part of a package alongside training, and would not be the main focus of the EPF funding, the official said. The fund hopes to improve the effectiveness of the EU's training missions in Africa. The official pointed to the Somalia operation, where in some cases local forces have been unable to apply the training they have received because of a lack of equipment as basic as proper boots. https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/new-eu-peace-fund-could-buy- weapons/ EUTM - SOMALIA 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 14/06/2018 US donates vehicles, equipment to Uganda Wednesday, 13 June 2018 - The United States has donated equipment and vehicles, including three armoured trucks, to the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) to support its counter-insurgency and peacekeeping capabilities.