The Battle Groups : Catalyst for a European Defence Policy

The further development of ESDP implies that the EU must acquire the necessary capacity and capabilities to pursue the policy successfully. At the strategic level, this means being able independently to assess a crisis and consider its potential military implications. At the operational level, it means being able to plan and execute military operations far away from its borders against robust adversaries, if necessary, through use of exclusively European assets. This emphasis on autonomous action is a significant point of orientation to guide EU efforts to develop appropriate political-military structures and military tools to fulfil the goals assigned to ESDP. Such requirements led to the adoption of the ‘Headline Goal 2010’.