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[Thread] Thrilled to publish a piece for @CSIS @CSISEurope with my colleague @DonatienneRuy on the European Peace Facility, a new instrument that will enable the European Union to provide military equipment and infrastructure to its partners. 
https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-peace-facility-bolster-european-foreign-policy
https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-peace-facility-bolster-european-foreign-policy
The starting point: Although the 
has deployed thousands of personnel in military training missions, it has lacked the authority and resources to equip the armed forces trained through these missions, thus hampering the effectiveness of its external action.
has deployed thousands of personnel in military training missions, it has lacked the authority and resources to equip the armed forces trained through these missions, thus hampering the effectiveness of its external action.
This was partly due to a legal limitation stemming from article 41(2) of the Treaty on European Union, which prohibits the Union’s budget from funding “expenditure arising from operations having military or defense implications.”
In response to a rapidly deteriorating security environment, Europeans nevertheless decided to overcome this legal and political hurdle, by creating an "off-budget" instrument, the European Peace Facility. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/12/18/council-reaches-a-political-agreement-on-the-european-peace-facility/
The instrument: The EPF is built on three pillars and will :
Cover the common costs of EU military operations (previously the Athena mechanism)
Support peacekeeping operations led by local partners (replacing and expanding to a global scale the African Peace Facility)
Cover the common costs of EU military operations (previously the Athena mechanism) Support peacekeeping operations led by local partners (replacing and expanding to a global scale the African Peace Facility)
And finance the provision of military equipment to partner countries’ armed forces (the EPF is an “off-budget” instrument not subject to EU rules).
The budget: Member states allocated €5 billion for the facility over seven years (2021-2027). Even though the amount was downscaled from initial requests, it still represents an increase of €2 billion over previous instruments (African Peace Facility and Athena mechanism).
The hurdles: To be successful, the EPF will require focus and strong oversight. Given the widened scope of the instrument, member states will need to define clear priorities and focus on the most pressing crises where the European Union is already engaged.
A robust monitoring of the facility’s defense-related assistance measures will also be key to answer the legitimate concerns expressed by some member states as well as NGOs. Robust safeguards have been introduced in that regard (risk assessment, traceability, controls).
Transatlantic cooperation: More streamlined and expanded European military and peacekeeping efforts abroad could complement and ultimately amplify 
security assistance efforts, provided that and consult each other and coordinate their approaches.
security assistance efforts, provided that and consult each other and coordinate their approaches.
Working together, and could identify concrete areas where their security assistance tools could be mutually reinforcing. This is promising in regions such as the Sahel, Central African Republic, the Gulf of Guinea or Iraq. [End]
![Working together, and could identify concrete areas where their security assistance tools could be mutually reinforcing. This is promising in regions such as the Sahel, Central African Republic, the Gulf of Guinea or Iraq. [End]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EtQLdKVXAAkA9H2.jpg "Working together, and could identify concrete areas where their security assistance tools could be mutually reinforcing. This is promising in regions such as the Sahel, Central African Republic, the Gulf of Guinea or Iraq. [End]")
and could identify concrete areas where their security assistance tools could be mutually reinforcing. This is promising in regions such as the Sahel, Central African Republic, the Gulf of Guinea or Iraq. [End]
This piece might interest our colleagues @DanielFiott, @NiklasNovaky, @ClaudMajor, @Ce_Moll, @DanSHamilton, @ErikBrattberg, @OlivierR_Bel, @PetrVTuma, @JDevermont, @AU_EuropeCenter, @MichaelShurkin, @maxbergmann, @tara_varma, @Alessandro__Ma.
