The added value of CSDP operations

Over the past two years, many high-level discussions within the EU have centred around the question of the ‘added value’ of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). In times of fiscal austerity, member states want to make sure they invest their resources where their impact is strongest. In the current climate of financial crisis and retrenchment, there are no resources or time to waste on a ‘beauty contest’ between organisations or instruments. In order to prepare for the next decade of deployments, the question to ask is therefore not whether but under which conditions CSDP has brought added value, to date, in responding to given contingencies. ‘Value’ can be defined as decisively contributing to bringing lasting peace and security in a crisis or post-conflict situation. An EU action that other actors or instruments either cannot or will not carry out in such a contingency would thus constitute added value.