Synchronised Armed Forces Europe

Synchronised Armed Forces Europe (SAFE) is a concept for an ever closer synchronisation of the European forces under the Common Security and Defence Policy.

The concept was adopted on 10 November 2008 by Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament during the 7th Berlin security conference.

On 21 January 2009 agreed Committee on Foreign Affair of the European Parliament voted with a large majority for the concept and added it in the annual report of the European Parliament on Common Security and Defence Policy. Council of the European Union are currently discussing the implementation of the concept.

Contents of the concept

SAFE is based on a voluntary participation (opt-in model) and should lead to the synchronisation of the European forces leadership. The opt-in model is the concept that is also applied to the Euro or Schengen Area. It offers sufficient leeway for the neutrality of some members and the military alliances of others. SAFE encourages the dynamic development of cooperation and improves the ability of individual national armed forces to move toward closer synchronisation. SAFE approves the principle of a Europe-wide division of labour in military capabilities. In addition, SAFE is open to military careers in the national armed forces for all Europeans, from the member countries that participate. This is already realised in the Belgian and Irish armed forces, and, in rudimentary form, among German-Dutch reservists.

As part of SAFE, a European statute concerning the regulation of training standards of soldiers will be developed. Furthermore, among the standards to be developed there will be an operational doctrine and a unification of rules and regulations concerning:

freedom of action
questions of rights and obligations
the quality of equipment and medical care
social security in case of death, injury and invalidity.

Objectives of the concept

SAFE aims to develop integrated European security structures. These will include civil and military capabilities.

Recent developments

On 20 Feb 2009 the European Parliament voted yes to create "SAFE" (Synchronised Armed Forces Europe) as a first step towards a true European military force. SAFE will be directed by an EU directorate, with its own training standards and operational doctrine. There are also plans to create an EU "Council of Defence Ministers" and "a European statute for soldiers within the framework of Safe governing training standards, operational doctrine and freedom of operational action".^[1]

References

↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/4689736/Blueprint-for-EU-army-to-be-agreed.html

External links

European Defence Agency - official website
European Defence (NGO) - independent information on EU military capabilities
Online Resource Guide to EU Foreign Policy

Foreign relations of the European Union

Bilateral relations

Africa & the Middle East	Bahrain Cape Verde Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Lebanon Morocco Palestine† South Africa Syria Yemen

Americas	Argentina Brazil Canada Cuba Greenland Mexico United States

Asia-Pacific	Australia China (People's Republic of) India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Nepal North Korea Pakistan Philippines South Korea

Europe & Central Asia	Albania Andorra Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Faroe Islands Georgia Iceland Kazakhstan Kosovo† Liechtenstein Macedonia‡ Moldova Monaco Montenegro Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of)† Norway Russia San Marino Serbia Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Vatican City

General	Members’ overseas territories Largest trading partners Association agreements Free trade agreements

†= Disputed state, may not be recognised as an independent state by some or all European Union members. ‡= Name disputed by Greece, EU recognises the Republic of Macedonia as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Multilateral relations and initiatives

Organisations	Arab League ASEAN ECHR G8 ICC United Nations

Initiatives	African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Asia–Europe Meeting CARIFORUM Customs Union Eastern Partnership Energy Community Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly European Common Aviation Area European Economic Area Euro-Mediterranean free trade area Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Euronest Economic Partnership Agreements EU CBRN Risk Mitigation CoE Initiative Neighbourhood Policy Northern Dimension Mediterranean Union Stabilisation and Association Process

Organisation

Policy	Common Foreign and Security Policy Economic Relations Everything but Arms Security and Defence Policy Enlargement

Actors	ECHO EuropeAid External Action Service Foreign Affairs Council High Representative Catherine Ashton Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Foreign Policy Instruments Service

Diplomatic missions	of the EU / to the EU Ambassadors Special Representatives

Military and security

Initiatives	Defence Initiative Synchronised Armed Forces Defence Procurement Petersberg tasks Helsinki Headline Goal

Structures	Political and Security Committee Military Committee Military Staff Operations Centre Security & Defence College Defence Agency Institute for Security Studies Satellite Centre Joint Situation Centre

Forces	European Union Force Eurofor Eurocorps EU Battlegroup EU Gendarmerie Force EU Maritime Force Deployments

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, June 19, 2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.