The new dubbed Chief of Staff (maj)
(BRUSSELS2) The new EU Chief of Staff, Austrian General Wolfgang Wosolsobe, is in place. And no one... within the European Diplomatic Service (EEAS) can ignore it any longer. And for good reason.
Quite a symbol...
For the European diplomatic service, the vast majority of which are civilian personnel, without necessarily having a military tradition, this presence was a novelty (*). And the opportunity to see that there are indeed within the EEAS, too, soldiers (even if they are not in the same building). Having spoken to several of them, the soldiers were very proud of this recognition. And for those who have forgotten, the military band Belgian (the Royal Music of the Guides) reminded everyone of their existence. A fanfare, quite gifted, it must be said, who interpreted in a playful way, giving in the fourth movement of the 9e Symphonie of Beethoven, its dynamic and joyful cachet (compared to the often soft and somewhat stuffy interpretations), giving it almost a marching character.
A dubbing
In this well-rehearsed ceremonial, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs et the Security Policy arrived in the presence of the two leaders, the old and the new. To say she was excited would be an understatement. But she did the job. C. Ashton thus elegantly received the farewell speech from one, the welcome speech from the other. The entire EEAS "board", the various directors and deputies of EU crisis management structures (CPCC, CMPD, Crioc), military representatives from across the EU and NATO were present, as well as that the heads of EU military missions/operations were there. Even a few "outsiders"... We could thus come across Chinese soldiers in full uniform.
The good place of the military
On the sidelines of the event, the general gave a few journalists (including B2) his vision for the European General Staff. " The main lines will remain the same “he wanted to warn. No big change to expect. But inflections all the same. Because the general seems to have definite ideas on certain subjects. And his previous experience - within the Austrian representation in Brussels (see also: An Austrian will take the helm of the EU Military Staff in 2013) - that he has a good experience of both the subjects and the difficulty of the task. Wosolsobe thus insisted on two main points. On the one hand, we must find the right place of the military " in this " service still young within the EU. The general thus wants to extend the expertise that the EUMS provides to a " spectre "wider" from conflict prevention, crisis management to state building and post-conflict management ».
The importance of dialogue with States
On the other hand, one must keep in mind "the'importance » dialogue with the Member States. " We are in the EEAS and at the same time we help the Military Committee as a point of dialogue with the Member States ". This place is " particularly important in the military field. Because the EU has no forces of its own, these depend on the goodwill and capacities of the Member States. “No matter what we plan to do as actions, we will need to draw on the capacities of the States”. The same goes for expertise. “My team is sufficient to consolidate a system of expertise but when we go deeper we will need the States.»
See how far to advance and with what intensity
Finally, the general insisted on the need to move forward with pooling and sharing in order to « strengthen the common culture ", not only to save money but to strengthen the « mutual understanding ". The European Council will be the time to improve these points and find out « how far we can go and the intensity with which we can advance ". Regarding NATO, « we must cooperate in the areas of operations through a comprehensive approach.»
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde with Th. Le Bihan)
(*) This is the first time that a ceremony has been organised, to illustrate the change of command of the EU Military Staff. Before the creation of the EEAS, this ceremony was organized, quite logically, at the Justus Lipsius, the building of the Council of the EU.