Berlin Plus agreement

The Berlin Plus agreement is the short title of a comprehensive package of agreements made between NATO and the EU on 16 December 2002. These agreements were based on the conclusions of NATO's 1999 Washington summit, and allowed the EU to draw on some of NATO's military assets in its own peacekeeping operations.

Content

The Berlin Plus agreement is comprised of seven major parts:

1. The NATO-EU Security Agreement: covers the exchange of classified information under reciprocal security protection rules.
2. Assured Access to NATO planning capabilities for EU-led Crisis Management Operations (CMO)
3. Availability of NATO assets and capabilities for EU-led CMO; such as communication units and headquarters for EU-led crisis management operations.
4. Procedures for Release, Monitoring, Return and Recall of NATO Assets and Capabilities
5. Terms Of Reference for DSACEUR and European Command Options for NATO
6. EU - NATO consultation arrangements in the context of an EU-led CMO making use of NATO assets and capabilities
7. Arrangements for coherent and mutually reinforcing Capability Requirements, in particular the incorporation within NATO’'s long-established defence planning system of the military needs and capabilities that may be required for EU-led military operations.

This comprehensive framework for NATO-EU relations was concluded on March 17, 2003 by the exchange of letters by Secretary General/High Representative Javier Solana and the then-Secretary General of NATO Lord Robertson.

Practice

Operations

With this agreement the EU is given the possibility to use NATO assets in case it wanted to act independently in an international crisis, on the condition that NATO does not want to act itself – the so-called "right of first refusal". Only if NATO refuses to act, the EU may act if it wants to do so. To date, the EU has conducted two operations with the support of NATO:

• Operation ‘Concordia’ in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The EU took over from NATO’'s operation ‘Allied Harmony and deployed around 300 troops to provide security to EU and OSCE monitors overseeing the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement.
• EUFOR Althea’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following NATO'’s decision at the 2004 Istanbul summit to terminate the mission of NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR) by the end of the year, the EU started its own 7,000-strong mission, EUFOR Althea, in the country with the aim to implement the military aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement and to maintain a safe and secure environment.

Cyprus-Turkey dispute

According to the The Economist EU officials have admitted that a particular problem between Turkey and Cyprus exist, but not a general one with the EU and NATO.

See also

• European Security and Defense Policy