The Berlin Plus agreement is the short title of a comprehensive package of agreements made between

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and the EU on 16 December 2002.NATO, ''Berlin Plus agreement'', June 21, 2006. These agreements were based on conclusions of NATO's

1999 Washington summit The 1999 Washington summit was the 16th NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, a three-day meeting held in Washington, D.C. on April 23–25, 1999. Held at the height of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the summit commemorated th ...

, sometimes referred to as the ''CJTF mechanism'', and allowed the EU to draw on some of NATO's military assets in its own peacekeeping operations.

Content

The Berlin Plus agreement has seven major parts:WORLD SECURITY INSTITUTE BRUSSELS, "NATO-EU Relations", January 16, 1996, #The NATO-EU Security Agreement, which covers the exchange of classified information under reciprocal security protection rules. #Assured Access to NATO planning capabilities for EU-led Crisis Management Operations (CMO). #Availability of NATO assets and capabilities for EU-led CMOs, such as communication units and headquarters. #Procedures for Release, Monitoring, Return and Recall of NATO Assets and Capabilities. #Terms of Reference for the

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

and European Command Options for NATO. #Arrangements for coherent and mutually reinforcing capability requirements, in particular the incorporation within NATO's defence planning of the military needs and capabilities that may be required for EU-led military operations. #EU - NATO consultation arrangements in the context of an EU-led CMO making use of NATO assets and capabilities. This comprehensive framework for NATO-EU relations was concluded on March 17, 2003 by the exchange of letters by

High Representative The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held b ...

Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga (; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary General of NA ...

and the then-

Secretary General of NATO The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinating the workings of the alliance, leading NATO's international staff ...

Lord Robertson.

Practice

Procedures

* The use of NATO assets by the EU is subject to a "right of first refusal": NATO must first decline to intervene in a given crisis. * Approval of the use of assets has to be unanimous among NATO states. For example, Turkish reservations about Operation Concordia using NATO assets delayed its deployment by more than five months.Bram Boxhoorn, ''Broad Support for NATO in the Netherlands'', 21-09-2005,

Operations

To date, the EU has conducted two operations with the support of NATO: * 2003: EUFOR Concordia in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The EU took over from NATO's operation

Allied Harmony An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

and deployed around 300 troops to provide security to EU and

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

monitors overseeing the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. * 2004+:

EUFOR Althea Operation Althea, formally the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR), is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement. It is the successor to NATO's SFOR and IFOR. T ...

in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following NATO's decision at the

2004 Istanbul summit The 2004 Istanbul summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 28 to 29 June 2004. It was the 17th NATO summit in which NATO's Heads of State and Governments met to make formal decisions about security topics. In general, the summit is seen as ...

to terminate the mission of NATO's

Stabilisation Force The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...

(SFOR) by the end of the year, the EU started its own 7,000-strong mission,

, in the country with the aim to implement the military aspects of the

Dayton Peace Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски мир� ...

and to maintain a safe and secure environment.

References

{{Common Security and Defence Policy Military of the European Union Treaties entered into by the European Union European Union and third organisations NATO relations Treaties concluded in 2002 NATO treaties 2002 in Germany

Content

Practice

Procedures

Operations

See also

References