CSDP missions and operations

In 2018, the EU adopted the civilian CSDP compact (CCC), designed to enhance mission capabilities in terms both of response time and access to relevant training. Its aim was to boost responsiveness, flexibility and reaction time. The civilian CSDP compact (CCC) commits to actively promote the representation of women in the EU’s missions. According to the EEAS, the overall share of women personnel in CSDP missions and operations is 24 %, and 20 % when it comes to operational and management functions. As a signatory of the UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security (WPS), the EU has agreed to increase the overall number of women dealing with crisis management and peace negotiations and the EEAS adopted a gender and equal opportunities strategy for 2018 to 2023. The European Parliament has called for the EU to lead efforts to implement Resolution 1325.
The EU Strategic Compass called for the development of a new CCC by mid-2023. This new CCC was approved on 22 May 2023. It aims at strengthening the civilian dimension of the CSDP and enhancing the civilian missions’ flexibility, robustness, effectiveness and impact. The Strategic Compass includes a commitment to hold annual discussions at ministerial level to enhance the political visibility of civilian CSDP. It also aims at building EU capacity to deploy 200 civilian experts within 30 days when necessary and comprises concrete commitments to have strengthened headquarters for civilian missions and to enhance the resilience of host states. The Strategic Compass provides for establishment of a civilian capability development process to, inter alia, assess capability needs. Moreover, a European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management was established in Berlin, Germany, in February 2020.
The EU launched two important civilian CSDP missions in 2023. Firstly, following a request from the government of Moldova, the EU launched the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM Moldova) on 22 May. Its objective is to enhance the resilience of the security sector in crisis management, hybrid threats, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference.
In response to a request from the Armenian authorities, the EU launched the EU mission in Armenia on 20 February 2023. It aims to ‘contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU’. The mission was deployed on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and builds upon the EU Monitoring Capacity in Armenia (EUMCAP), which was deployed in the same area in October 2022.