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A new warehouse for EU crisis management missions. It's signed

Signing of the agreement between D. Eliasson (left) and H. Hardeman (right) (credit: MSB)

(B2) The event went rather unnoticed in the maelstrom of the international situation. But it's a small brick in what is called " operationalization of the common security and defense policy of the European Union which has just been posed.

A new agreement signed with Sweden

Hilde Hardeman, Director of the European Commission's Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) Department, and Dan Eliasson, Director General of the Swedish Civil Protection Agency (MSB), signed a contract last Monday (28 May) entrusting MSB with the management of the EU's strategic warehouse for civilian crisis management missions as well as for EU special representatives. Objective: to store equipment, acquire it if necessary and transport it to the place of the mission as quickly as possible. " In order to launch a mission quickly and manage it efficiently and safely, it is essential to have the right equipment, shorten the response time and ensure that the mission personnel have the necessary conditions to work effectively and safely. safely we underline on the European side.

A failed first attempt

This signature is the rather slow culmination of reflection at European level. A first contract for a warehouse was signed in 2013 with a German company (read: The European Union will have its permanent warehouse for crisis management). But this first version turned out to be far from effective. This device has only been used once... (for the EUBAM Libya European mission in mid-2013). And even. The questions then are numerous: Was the contract too limited? Are the conditions set for deployment too strict? The supplier not suited to the contract or not very serious? ... probably a bit of everything, according to our information (read: Should the operation of the warehouse be reviewed?). The choice of a private supplier was undoubtedly a mistake. Just like all the conditions surrounding its use (only for new missions, for certain materials only...). In reality, everything had been planned so as not to really use the warehouse.

A more experienced operator

A lesson has been learned from these mistakes. The Europeans have now chosen an experienced public operator, which has a certain range of action at the international level: Sweden and its operational arm for civil security interventions, MSB (read: A new warehouse for crisis management missions, in Sweden (V2)). " Established in 2009, the MSB agency has acquired, stored, managed and transported equipment to and from operations in Sweden and around the world, for among others the EU and the UN says its director Dan Eliasson. “Last year, in 2017, we carried out 125 international missions (and 39 national ones). » « It is thanks to their experience, knowledge and capabilities that we have decided to entrust MSB with the management of the EU warehouse for civilian and conflict management operations.s,” confirms Hilde Hardeman, head of the European Commission’s Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) department. " It is a very important mission. »

Almost all the equipment for a mission

The new strategic warehouse will contain, among other equipment, vehicles, computer equipment, satellite phones, medical supplies, medicines and helmets. It will thus have the capacity to launch a new mission of 200 people within 30 days. It will be located in Kristinehamn, where MSB has already set up storage and logistics warehouses for Swedish civil protection operations in the country or around the world. Its total area will be 5000 square meters. MSB will also promote a “ increased consideration of the environment to be taken into account in the missions “says its director. The agreement signed with the EU provides that " MSB will be able to receive toxic waste and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way”.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Read our detailed sheet (B2 pro) The crisis management warehouse (sheet)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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