This study assesses the planning, command and control of civilian and military
CSDP missions and operations, progress made in developing civilian and
military capabilities, particularly rapid response capabilities in the form of the
EU Battlegroups, as well as challenges encountered during the force generation
process. In recent years, the European Council has repeatedly called for further
progress in all of these areas.
The study concludes that, despite recent progress in reviewing crisis
management procedures, operational planning remains cumbersome and slow.
The findings indicate that the chain of command for CSDP military operations
would benefit from further streamlining, possibly through the creation of a
Follow-up Centre for Missions and Operations placed under the supervision of
the European Union Military Staff. 'Modular' configurations specific to highreadiness
alert units should also be explored as a priority when further
developing rapid reaction military capabilities. The study also shows that, for
civilian CSDP, the delays encountered in the force generation process could be
reduced by further developing national rosters of experts deployable on missions
and operations