Permanent structured cooperation (PESCO): From notification to establishment

Further information:

The Joint Notification was signed by 23 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. It was later handed over to the EU's High Representative on Foreign Policy. The door remained open for other member states to join at a later stage.

PESCO is a Treaty-based framework and process to deepen defence cooperation amongst EU Member States who were capable and willing to do so. It aimed to enable Member States to jointly develop defence capabilities, invest in shared projects and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces. On 13 November 2017, 23 EU Member States signed a joint notification addressed to the Council of the European Union and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) on their intention to participate in Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

On 27 November 2017, the PESCO Member States approved a
draft list of projects which was be presented to the Foreign Affairs Council on 11 December 2017 for approval. The projects, which for the most part were pre-existing initiatives now placed under the PESCO umbrella

The Council was now expected to formally establish PESCO, possibly before the end of 2017.

Author: Elena Lazarou

• Primary Source

ESO: Find more information on the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) http://www.europeansources.info/advSearchLink?keyword=PESCO&searchOption=all

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