Lidija Knežević
The government held its 32nd session this morning, the last before the Christmas holidays, and the penultimate one this year. In addition to a number of topics related to the COVID-19 disease epidemic and the associated recent vaccinations, the Government also adopted two proposals from the Ministry of Defense on declaring forces in the two EU combat groups. More precisely, as the competent minister Mario Banožić explained, first one is the extension and a second one is a new engagement during the next year.
“The European Union has established combat groups as rapid crisis response mechanisms that directly contribute to strengthening the EU’s crisis management capacity and capacity as part of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy. As a member of the EU, the Republic of Croatia supports and participates in the Common Security and Defense Policy of the EU and thus actively contributes to its development. By engaging in combat groups, we are strengthening our position within the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy. Combat groups are a valuable operational and transformational instrument that contributes to the development and increase of interoperability, and the strengthening of bilateral relations with our partners. With up to 250 members of the Armed Forces, the Republic of Croatia is engaged in EU combat group led by the Federal Republic of Germany, which is on standby from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020. The Federal Republic of Germany, as the leading country, has proposed to the participating countries to extend the standby period to the first quarter of 2021. By continuing to engage in the combat group in the first quarter of 2021, the Republic of Croatia contributes to ensuring the readiness of the combat group, thus continuing to actively participate in directly strengthening the concept of combat groups, ie the Common Security and Defense Policy, and cooperation with participating countries. Therefore, the proposed decision declares dedicated organized forces from the CAF to engage in a combat group led by the Federal Republic of Germany that will be on standby from 1 January to 31 March 2021 with up to 250 members of the CAF.
Also, the Republic of Croatia will participate in the EU combat group led by the Italian Republic, which will be on standby during the second half of 2021. The Republic of Austria, the Republic of Slovenia and Hungary will contribute to this combat group. Therefore, this proposed decision declares dedicated organized forces from the CAF to engage in a combat group led by the Italian Republic, which will be on standby from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2021. The Republic of Croatia will make available up to 10 members of the Armed Forces to engage the combat group.”
After Banožić’s explanations, the Government unanimously adopted these proposals and sent them to the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, for signature.
Power ratio – 250 : 10
There is a noticeable disparity in Croatia’s contribution to these two combat groups. The reason is Croatia’s policy of contributing to EU combat groups, whereby the Republic of Croatia is determined to participate with significant forces (ie up to 250 members of the CAF) every 3 to 4 years, while in the meantime it symbolically contributes to individual combat groups in accordance “with its interests and opportunities”. As in 2018 the Government decided that the CAF would give up to 250 of its members for EUBG 2020-2, so this three-month extension could not apply to fewer people. This is the 3rd time Croatia has been operating in the German-led EU combat group – the first engagement was in 2012, then in 2016, and the third time the engagement in the German combat group began quietly on July 1, 2020.
Given the significant size of this contingent, there are no surprises in the symbolic engagement within the framework of EUBG 2021-2 under the leadership of Italy. The engagement of the Croatian Armed Forces in the Italian combat group is a kind of tradition, although unlike 2017, when the purposefully organized forces of the Croatian Armed Forces for this group amounted to 25 Croatian soldiers, now the Croatian contingent is more than halved, with a maximum of 10 members.
The crisis of EU combat groups continues
In addition, the European Union has been struggling with the concept of its combat groups for a long time, and even recently, the active rethinking of the concepts of these forces has not yielded results. Moreover, the crisis culminated in a lack of stand by forces in the first half of 2021. This is also the reason why, at the end of its presidency of the Council of the EU, Germany extended its engagement and the engagement of its combat group for the next 3 months in 2021. In fact, at the last meeting of EU defense ministers, held in November this year, it was established that there are not enough contributors or countries willing / able to command the EU combat group 2021-1. That is why German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has made additional commitments on behalf of the Bundeswehr, according to which the leading role of the German Armed Forces and the existing security of the forces will temporarily continue in the coming year. The official explanation was that the European Union – not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic – failed to implement plans in time to secure the next contingent, the EU Battlegroup 2021-1. Therefore, for the first three months of the new year, Germany will jump in together with the member states of the existing combat group. Since the beginning of July this year, Germany has been participating in the EU combat group with as many as 4,500 people, of which 2,500 are members of the Bundeswehr (most of them are part of the rapid reaction force, from air and highly specialized units). In addition, Kramp-Karrenbauer has committed to a similar engagement of German forces throughout 2025.
As things look now, the period from April 1 to July 1, 2021 will apparently remain empty, without any declared combat group, and then from the beginning of July the Italian combat group will be on standby. This is by far the most drastic example of the crisis of the whole concept of EU combat groups, which obviously cannot be attributed only to the COVID-19 pandemic or the economic crisis. When Brussels also admits that it failed to “prepare the ground” in time, then this is a reason for serious doubt in the further meaning not only of this concept of EU combat groups, but in the sense of their continued existence in general. Of course, all this is a great lesson to all those who, without much insight into the real state of affairs, speak loudly about the European Army and announce its not so distant establishment, in one or another unrealistic way.
As things look now, the period from April 1 to July 1, 2021 will apparently remain empty, without any declared combat group, and then from the beginning of July the Italian combat group will be on standby. This is by far the most drastic example of the crisis of the whole concept of EU combat groups, which obviously cannot be attributed only to the COVID-19 pandemic or the economic crisis. When Brussels also admits that it failed to “prepare the ground” in time, then this is a reason for serious doubt in the further meaning not only of this concept of EU combat groups, but in the sense of their continued existence in general. Of course, all this is a great lesson to all those who, without much insight into the real state of affairs, speak loudly about the European Army and announce its not so distant establishment, in one or another unrealistic way.
This material was created with the financial support of the European Union within the project ‘Towards an open, fair and sustainable Europe in the world – EU Presidency Project 2019 – 2021’. The author is solely responsible for the content and cannot be considered the official position of the European Union.
