Eurocorps (, ), located in the French city of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

(Bas-Rhin), is a multinational

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

headquarters. Founded by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1992, it is today composed of personnel from six framework nations and five associated nations. The framework nations place the Eurocorps at the service of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, which certified it in 2002 as one of its nine High Readiness Land Headquarters (HRF (L) HQ). The precedents of the Eurocorps date back to 1989, when German Chancellor

Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...

and the President of the French Republic,

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

, initiated military cooperation by establishing the Franco-German Defense and Security Council and creating a joint brigade, which became operational in 1991. Subsequently, in 1992, at the La Rochelle summit, both countries signed the report that led to the creation of Eurocorps. That same year, the first German and French officers joined the unit. In 1993 Belgium joined the unit, followed by Spain a year later. In 1995 it was officially declared operational, and the following year Luxembourg joined. In 2022 Poland became the sixth framework nation. Currently there are five associated countries: Greece, Turkey, Italy, Austria and Romania. There have also been, during different periods, military personnel from Canada (2003–2007), the United Kingdom (1999–2002), the Netherlands (1999–2002) and Finland (2002–2005). The Eurocorps was formally established on a legal basis by the Treaty concerning the Eurocorps and the status of its headquarters, also known as "Treaty of Strasbourg", an agreement signed in Brussels on 22 November 2004 by the defense ministers of the five member countries at that time (Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg) and ratified by their respective national parliaments. It became effective on 26 February 2009. The purpose of the treaty, as stated in article 1, is to ''"define the fundamental principles relating to the missions, organization and functioning of the Eurocorps".'' Article 2 defines the European military group as "''the multinational army corps consisting of the Headquarters and the units in respect of which the Contracting Parties have effected the transfer of command to the Commanding General of the Eurocorps".'' As for Eurocorps missions, article 3 states that they may be entrusted to it in the context of the United Nations, the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the

(EU) and the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO) evacuation missions, humanitarian missions, peacekeeping or crisis management.

Participating countries

Six countries participate in the corps as member states. The treaty allows for any EU member state to become a member of Eurocorps, subject to the approval of existing Eurocorps members. Additionally, there are five associated members. The Eurocorps is staffed by personnel from both framework and partner nations.

Participating members

* – since 1993 * – since 1992 * – since 1992 * – since 1996 * – since 2022 * – since 1994

Associated members

* – 2002-11; since 2021 * – since 2002 * – since 2009 * – since 2016 * – since 2002

Former associated members

* – 2003–07 * – 2002–06 * – 1999–2002 * – 1999–2002

History

Eurocorps has its origins in the Franco-German Brigade, created in 1989. Following this approach, on 14 October 1991, France and Germany announced their intention to further strengthen European defense integration through the establishment of a corps headquarters. During the Franco-German summit in La Rochelle on 22 May 1992, French President

and German Chancellor

decided to launch the project and to establish the Eurocorps headquarters. Although initially it was a Franco-German association, the Eurocorps was soon opened up to all member states of the

Western European Union The Western European Union (WEU; , UEO; , WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (alliance) , Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU implement ...

(WEU). On 19 June, the European Union issued the Petersberg Declaration, which defined those missions that could be entrusted to the WEU and that Eurocorps would also undertake: ensuring the common defense of allied countries, carrying out peacekeeping or peace-keeping operations for the benefit of the United Nations or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as other missions of a humanitarian nature. On 1 July 1992, a provisional General Staff is installed in the French city of Strasbourg to create the foundations of the Eurocorps Headquarters. On 21 January 1993, an agreement was signed with SACEUR placing the Eurocorps at the disposal of the

. On 1 October of the same year, the Eurocorps headquarters was definitively established in Strasbourg, on the basis of the General Staff activated a few months earlier. During these first years, several countries joined the Franco-German initiative. On 12 October 1993,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

joined the Eurocorps with a mechanized division; on 1 July 1994, the Spanish Council of Ministers authorized the participation of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

with a mechanized division;

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

joined the project on 7 May 1996. In November 1995, the Eurocorps reached the necessary conditions to be officially declared operational. At that time the Eurocorps had the following units permanently affiliated: the 1st French Armored Division, the 10th German Armored Division, the 1st Belgian Mechanized Division, which included a Luxembourg reconnaissance company, the Mechanized Division "Brunete" and the Franco-German Brigade, totaling 50,000 troops, 645 tanks, 1,400 armored vehicles and 360 artillery pieces. This situation continued until 1999, when the heads of state and government of the five Eurocorps framework nations declared at the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

held in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

(3 and 4 June) their agreement to ''"adapt the European Army Corps, and in particular its Headquarters, to the new strategic scenario in order to convert it into a European Rapid Reaction Corps, responding to the European Union's desire to have forces adapted to crisis management operations".'' The political statement was subsequently developed in the Luxembourg Report, November 1999, which set out the general guidelines for the aforementioned transformation, once again respecting the dual transatlantic and European orientation, by keeping the Eurocorps at the disposal of NATO and the EU for crisis management operations. Poland was accepted as a member in 2010. This was expected to become effective from 1 January 2016, but was delayed to January 2017. However, a change in government with the 2015 Polish election led to the application for full membership being withdrawn in favour of remaining an associate member. In November 2021, Poland again expressed an interest in joining as a full member, and it became a framework member in 2022. On 25 February 2003,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

signed a treaty which allowed them to send staff to the headquarters of the corps. Finland remained an associated nation of the corps until 2005, and Austria until 2011.

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

became an associated nation in April 2016, while Austria rejoined as an associate nation in 2021. In addition, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

have sent liaison officers to the headquarters of the corps. The Eurocorps has adopted a modular philosophy and the affiliation of large units is no longer permanent. Today, such affiliation is based on the actual missions in which the Eurocorps has to intervene and its only permanent units are the Headquarters and a multinational support brigade. Eurocorps is today one of the nine NATO High Readiness Land Headquarters (HRF (L) HQ), having been certified as such in 2003 and is fully integrated in the NATO Response Force (NRF) rotation system, the Eurocorps HQ is also offered to the EU for crisis management operations as a Land Component Command or European Union Battlegroups Headquarters (EUBG).

Badge

The chest badge was created by an officer of the French Army's employment office, Lieutenant Colonel Pellabeuf. This badge, approved on 18 June 1993 under the number G4000, was produced by the Delsart company and, by order of the Chief of Staff, General Clerc, was worn for the first time on 5 November 1993, during the official ceremony of creation of the corps and in the presence of the Ministers of Defense of the three participating countries at that time (Germany, France and Belgium). Its description is "an insignia in the form of a shield symbolizing the defense of the European continent". Europe is represented by two symbols: * The blue background and the golden stars of the European flag, * A symbolic silhouette of the continent that allows us to hide some of the stars and thus avoid over-identification with the European Union or the Council of Europe. On the other hand, a sword reminds us that the Eurocorps is a large military unit. File:Insigne de poitrine de l'Eurocorps.jpg, File:Eurocorps prise d'armes Strasbourg 31 janvier 2013 05.JPG, File:Eurocorps prise d'armes Strasbourg 31 janvier 2013 01.jpg,

Organisation

Politico-military direction

The Eurocorps belongs to the six framework nations and is not subordinate to any other supranational defense organization. It is deployed on the authority of the Common Committee representing the member states, the

Chief of Defence A chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national ...

, and the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its mission is to ensure the political-military direction and the coordination and conditions of employment of the forces and it is the collegiate body in charge of maintaining relations with Western defense alliances ( EU and

) and other international organizations. This committee considers requests for support from multinational organizations such as the UN,

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

. The Corps can also be deployed at the request of the framework nations.

Structure

The Eurocorps Headquarters is composed of a Command Group, a General Staff, a Multinational Support Brigade and the NSD.

Command Group

* Located in the "Aubert de Vincelles" barracks. It is composed of the Eurocorps lieutenant general, a second-in-command general, a chief of staff and the heads of the various divisions of the General Staff.

General Staff

* Located in the "Aubert de Vincelles" barracks. Multinational in nature, it is designed to be used with great flexibility and to be completed in a progressive and balanced manner with personnel from the different participating countries. The working language is English.

Multinational Support Brigade

* Located in the "Aubert de Vincelles" and "Lizé" barracks. It is made up of military personnel from the various member countries. Its task is to provide the necessary support for the deployment and support of the HQ (communications, protection, food, transport, accommodation...)

NSD

* National support detachment. It is in charge of national issues of the different framework states and is located at the barracks of "Lizé".

Relationship with EU defence policy

The European Corps is presently not established at the EU level (referred to as the Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP); it is for instance not a

project A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...

of the

Permanent Structured Cooperation The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is the part of the European Union (EU) its security and defence policy (CSDP) in which 26 of the 27 national armed forces pursue structural integration (the exception being Malta). Based on Article ...

(PESCO) of the CSDP. The European Corps and its assets may however contribute in the implementation of the CSDP, when made available as a ''multinational force'' in accordance with article 42.3 of the

Treaty on European Union The Treaty on the European Union (2007) is one of the primary Treaties of the European Union, alongside the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The TEU forms the basis of EU law, by setting out general principles of the EU's ...

(TEU).

Operations

The corps has: *From May 1998 to January 2000: deployment in the Balkans, where Eurocorps participates in four successive contingents of the

Stabilization Force in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

(SFOR). *Led KFOR III in

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

from 18 April 2000 to October 2000 *Led the ISAF6 Force in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

from 9 August 2004 to 11 February 2005. *From 1 July 2006, to 10 January 2007, the headquarters of the corps was the land component stand by element of the NATO Response Force 7. *From 1 July 2010 to 10 January 2011, the headquarters of the corps was the land component stand by element of the NATO Response Force 15 (NRF 15). *In 2012, the corps has deployed to ISAF in Afghanistan. *In the second semester the Eurocorps supported Germany with 57 soldiers in the EU mission EUTM Mali. *July 2016 to July 2017: twelve-month standby period as headquarters of the ground component of two successive rotations of the European Union Battle Group (EUBG). *From July 2016 to January 2018: deployment to the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

, where Eurocorps leads three successive contingents of the European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA). *In January 2020, Eurocorps takes a one-year NATO alert as command of the ground component of NATO Response Force 20. *First and second half of 2021 European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM MALI). *Second half of 2021 and first half of 2022 European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA) aims to advise and support the government in the training of the country's new armed forces, which are playing an important role in the stabilization of the country.

Eurocorps Commanding Generals

The key positions of the HQ, including that of its chief general, are assigned on a rotating basis among the nations. Since its foundation, the Heads of the Eurocorps have been as follows: *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Helmut Willmann: 1993–1996 (Germany) *

Pierre Forterre: 1996–1997 (France) *

Léo Van Den Bosch: 1997–1999 (Belgium) *

Juan Ortuño Such: 1999–2001 (Spain) *

Holger Kammerhoff: 2001–2003 (Germany) *

Jean-Louis Py: 2003–2005 (France) *

Charles-Henri Delcour: 2005–2007 (Belgium) *

Pedro Pitarch Bartolomé: 2007–2009 (Spain) *

Hans-Lothar Domröse: 2009–2011 (Germany) *

Olivier de Bavinchove: 2011–2013 (France) *

Guy Buchsenschmidt: 2013–2015 (Belgium) *

Alfredo Ramírez Fernández: 2015–2017 (Spain) *

Jürgen Weigt: 2017–2019 (Germany) *

Laurent Kolodziej: 2019–2021 (France) *

Peter Devogelaere: 2021–2023 (Belgium) *

Jarosław Gromadziński: 2023–2024 (Poland) *

Piotr Błazeusz: 2024– (Poland)

Notes

References

External links

Headquarters

A proposed evolution in the Eurocorps and ESDI in NATO
(French language)
An integrated European regiment: A proposed evolution in the Eurocorps and ESDI in NATO
{{Authority control France-Germany bilateral relations organisations Military units and formations established in 1992 Multinational units and formations Organizations based in Strasbourg 1992 in the European Economic Community 1992 establishments in France NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Foreign relations of the European Union European Union security policy Military of the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy Military history of Strasbourg