Moving Pesco Forward: What Are the Next Steps?

The present paper draws the key conclusions from a year’s worth of ARES analysis on PeSCo. ARES experts have set out their vision of the approach to PeSCo adopted by their 11 respective countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Lithuania, Greece, Poland, Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands. The purpose of this study was to tease out lines of convergence and divergence by asking similar questions across European states. Comparing these national views has yielded five main recommendations that would both help achieve PeSCo’s objectives, and are liable to garner Member State consensus:

• Rule number 1: Rigorously enforce the binding nature of the PeSCo commitments.
• Rule number 2: Choose compatible crisis management and collective defence projects…