BRDO CASTLE, Slovenia (AP) – As the European Union’s shortcomings in Afghanistan dwindle, officials from the 27-nation bloc discussed ways on Thursday to improve its response to future crises and not depend so much on the US
“Afghanistan has shown that the deficiency of our strategic autonomy has a price,” EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said after talks in Slovenia with defense ministers that also involved NATO officials and of the UN. “And that the only way to continue is to combine our strengths and strengthen not only our ability, but also our willingness to act.”
During their meeting, European defense ministers looked for ways to improve the bloc’s operational commitment and develop a rapid response force capable of operating in difficult military theaters. They also discussed plans for the so-called strategic compass, a document that aims to harmonize crisis management and define advocacy ambitions for the bloc that is expected to be drafted before the end of the year.
Later, his foreign counterparts met to discuss the future relationship the EU wants to develop with the Taliban. Borrell said the bloc must take into account the new political reality of the country and define how it will engage with the new rulers.
The EU has set conditions for working with the Taliban, including respect for human rights and the safe passage of those who are still willing to leave the country.
“Certainly, we need to develop a commitment to the Taliban on many issues,” Borrell said, adding that the most urgent issue was to help those seeking a way out.
Borrell insisted that people leaving the war-torn country should not be treated as migrants, but were considered asylum seekers amid fears in many member states that an Afghan refugee crisis could soon develop. in Europe.
An EU official who knew the ministerial talks directly said there was a general consensus among defense ministers to acknowledge the “fiasco” that followed after the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s acquisition and the rapid airlift operation that followed the US decision to withdraw have exposed the EU’s dependence on its ally. Without American support, European countries would not have been able to guarantee the safe exit of their citizens or even their troops.
“The strategic situation, the geostrategic changes, show that we now need a stronger Europe,” said Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU military committee. “The situation in Afghanistan, Libya, the Middle East and the Sahel shows that now is the time to act, starting with the creation of a rapid force to enter Europe capable of showing the European Union’s will to act. as a global strategic partner. If not now, I would be late later. “
But it is not easy to find a consensus among the 27 EU member states to create an EU reserve force of about 5,000 troops.
European countries on the border with Russia often oppose the idea of autonomy, for example Poland and the Baltic nations. Germany’s heavyweight EU is also a staunch supporter of using NATO for security operations and maintaining the U.S. defense umbrella in Europe.
“We don’t have complete unanimity yet, I would lie to you if everyone explicitly agreed to it today,” Borrell said.
He added that in light of the US’s disengagement on the international stage, the EU has no choice but to increase its capacity to act independently.
“It’s nothing against NATO, it’s nothing against the EU-US alliance, it’s a way to make us stronger, meet our responsibilities and mobilize resources to meet the challenges we will have to face,” he said. to say.
The EU is already equipped with rapid reaction teams – the so-called battle groups – each consisting of about 1,500 troops. But they have never been used in major crises and the bloc does not deploy EU missions to active conflict zones.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the type of troops needed to carry out a mission such as the evacuation led by the U.S. military from Kabul airport should now be focused.
“It’s not about what NATO is doing or what the EU is doing,” he added. “To some extent it’s about what we Europeans do in NATO.”
Slovenian Defense Minister Matej Tonin, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said defense ministers also debated how to send troops abroad even without consensus, raising the requirement of ‘unanimity.
“Perhaps the solution is for us to invent a mechanism where a classical majority will suffice and those who are willing will be able to go for it,” he said. “If a majority of the European Union decides to send troops somewhere, they can go on behalf of the European Union. And the countries that will participate in these groups will be, say, the willing countries. Because we don’t force countries that don’t want to be part of this mission. ”
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Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.