Recommendation for a Council decision establishing a European Peace Facility

The European Parliament adopted by 328 votes to 80, with 67 abstentions, a European Parliament recommendation to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the Proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the support of the Commission, to the Council for a Council Decision establishing a European Peace Facility.

A financial instrument for peacebuilding

The European Peace Facility (EPF) should yield synergies and efficiency gains through a comprehensive approach to the operational financing of current external action where funding from the EU budget is not possible. In particular, the EPF should finance EU military missions, strengthen the military and defence capabilities of third countries and regional or international organisations, and contribute to the financing of peace support operations carried out by a regional or international organisation or by third countries.

The proposed Facility will replace the Athena mechanism and the African Peace Facility. It will complement the Capacity Building for Security and Development initiative by financing the costs of EU defence activities such as AU peace-keeping missions, common costs of own military CSDP operations, and military capacity building of partners, which are excluded from the EU budget.

As an off-budget mechanism financed through yearly contributions by Member States, based on a GNI distribution key, the EPF is expected to allow the EU to fund a higher proportion of the common costs (35-45 %) of military missions and operations, as is currently the case with the Athena mechanism.

Recommendations

In general, Members recommended, inter alia:

- work towards the establishment of a mechanism within the European Parliament to provide timely access, according to strictly defined parameters,  to information, including original documents, on the annual budget of the European Peace Facility, amending budgets, transfers, action programmes, implementation of assistance measures, agreements with implementing actors, reports on the implementation of revenue and expenditure, as well as to the annual accounts, financial statements, evaluation reports and the annual report of the Court of Auditors;

- to agree to include access to all confidential documents in the negotiations for the updated Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament and the Council concerning access of Parliament to sensitive information of the Council in the field of security and defence policy;

- to ensure that operations, action programmes, ad hoc assistance measures and other operational actions funded by the Facility will not in any way violate or be used to violate the fundamental principles laid down in Article 21 of the TEU or be used to violate international law, in particular international humanitarian and human rights law.

Parliament proposed to include a number of amendments into the proposal. In particular, it recommended the establishment of a Facility Committee composed of one representative per participating Member State. Representatives of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and representatives of the Commission would be invited to attend the Committee's meetings, but would have no voting rights. Representatives of the European Parliament and, where appropriate, the European Defence Agency (EDA) could be invited to attend the Committee's meetings, but would have no voting rights and would not be present at the voting.

Parliament also recommended that the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:

- implement Parliament’s views when preparing proposals for multi-year ‘action programmes’ or ad hoc assistance measures, including by withdrawing proposals that are opposed by Parliament;

- submit draft Council decisions relating to the European Peace Facility to Parliament for consultation at the same time as they are submitted to the Council or to the Political and Security Committee;

- ensure complementarity with existing EU funds, programmes and instruments, the consistency of the European Peace Facility with all other aspects of the EU’s external action;

- provide regular feedback to Parliament on the progress made in implementing Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, and to consult Parliament on the recommended gender component focusing on the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts;

- ensure the consistency of the European Peace Facility with all other aspects of the EU’s external action, including its development and humanitarian policies.