As present-day crises and security threats can rarely be considered from neither a purely military nor civilian viewpoint, effective responses need to draw on both, civilian and military capabilities.

This perception is not new, and still - despite a number of coordination efforts - civilian and military structures have to agreat extent remained two different worlds. Civilian and military crisis management missions are still operated separately. In its plenary session on 23 November 2010, the European Parliament adopted its report on civilian-military cooperation and the development of civilian-military capabilities. It aims at identifying areas in which Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) policies and capabilities can and should be improved : The European Parliament calls on Member States to honour their official commitments and proposed improvements of CSDP structures, processes and capabilities. It demands the External ActionService to play a key role in the coordination of civilian and military structures, permanent operational headquarters - with the appropriate separation of the chains of command - to take over the operational planning and management for both civilian and military operations, and better usability and flexibility of the EU battle groups.

One year after the adoption of the report in plenary we are faced with the sobering reality. Many issues still remain unsolved. Despite the creation of a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as well as the European External Action Service, external action of the European Union remains a domain largely determined by intergovernmentalism. In the light of financial constraints on Member States and the ensuing tightening of defence and security budgets, civilian and military capabilities still lag behind Member States’ commitments. Yet, this is not the only reason defence and crisis prevention and intervention structures have not developed as anticipated. Member States are still holding widely divergent views in thisrespect.

The Weimar Triangle of Poland, France and Germany has shown a strong interest in constituting a ‘core’ CSDP group within the European Union and to push for a united approach on matters of CSDP now, during the Polish Presidency, and in the future. The lack of civil-miltary capabilities impairs the credibilty of the CSDP : The Polish Presidency thus provides a unique opportunity to achieve new impetus for civil-military cooperation. A permanent civil-military planning and conduct capability, reform of the EU battle groups, and pooling and sharing – these are the priorities that should translate into tangible results before the end of the Presidency.