Ref. Ares(2020)3025531 - 11/06/2020
EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE
DG Budget and Administration
The Director-General
Brussels,
eeas.sg.affgen.2 (2020) 2428924
Álvaro Merino
Subject: Your request for access to documents
Our ref: 2020/026
Dear Mr Merino,
Thank you for your confirmatory application of 8/4/2020, following your request for access to
documents.
I have carefully studied your initial request, dated 22/2/2020, as well as the EEAS reply
2020/026, which was sent to you on 8/4/2020. You initially requested documents which
contain the list of all EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and
operations conducted since 2003 onwards, specifying total number of personnel deployed,
Member States troop contribution by MS and total EU personnel deployed for each
mission/operation. In your confirmatory application, you asked the EEAS to re-examine your
request. Moreover, while expressing your understanding for our lack of consent to disclosure
the exact number of personnel currently deployed by the EEAS on each mission, you
suggested finding some alternatives to it, like providing the extracts from the databases or
data related to the proportions of contributions from the Member States, data grouped by
regions (aggregated by continents), or troop deployment at the moment of its implementation.
Following your confirmatory request, the relevant EEAS Divisions have been contacted and
asked to re-examine your application based on the description included herein.
After the search, the EEAS has identified the following documents matching your request, as
referenced hereafter:
1. ”Leaflet on EU CSDP Missions and Operations”;
2. Table providing details on the aggregated data for CSDP missions and operations for
the period 2008 -2019.
I am pleased to forward these documents to you in attachment to this letter.
These documents include aggregated data such as “total number of personnel deployed on
the EEAS missions and operations at the moment”, as well as aggregated data related to “the
number of personnel per mission/operation, split by continents.”
Service Européen pour l'Action Extérieure, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese dienst voor extern optreden, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium.
Telephone: (32-2) 584 11 11.
Data related to individual contributions of Member States, however, cannot be provided since
it is the prerogative of each participating state to determine the level of its contribution, thus it
is for the respective authorities of the participating states to release this kind of information, if
they so choose. A unilateral disclosure of this information by the EEAS would affect the
relations with the Member States and would have an impact on future engagements of the
Member States in CSDP missions. Individual Member States contributions to CSDP missions
is a subject that influences internal political debate, namely because of its budgetary
repercussions and the perception from different sectors of the society. A unilateral release of
this information by the EEAS would also interfere with the public debate between the societies
in different Member States. Therefore, it is up to the competent authorities in each Member
State to inform the public about their voluntary participation in CSDP missions towards their
respective populations and towards their international counterparts. For the same reason,
percentages cannot be provided because if total numbers are provided together with the
percentages of each participating state’s contributions, then the troop contribution of each
participating nation also becomes evident.
Furthermore, it is to be noted that it is not possible for the EEAS to provide aggregated data
for the period 2003-2007, since a number of missions and operations have been terminated
during those times and the EEAS does not hold the data related to these missions which
precede its creation.
With the exception of the above-mentioned figures, details of all CSDP mission and operations
(name, location, launch and termination dates) are contained in the Leaflet on EU CSDP
Missions and Operations. A copy of the relevant part from the December 2019 edition of the
Leaflet is attached for your convenience. Please bear in mind that this edition is currently
being updated to reflect the launch of EUAM RCA and ENFM Irini in 2020, as well as the
termination of ENFM Sophia also in 2020.
I take this opportunity to remind you that the document provided may be used if the source is
acknowledged and you do not distort the original meaning or message of the document.
Please note that the EEAS does not assume liability stemming from the use. In case of doubt,
please do contact the EEAS for prior authorization.
If you are not satisfied with this response you may, in accordance with Article 8 of the
Regulation, institute court proceedings against the European External Action Service or make
a complaint to the Ombudsman, under the conditions laid down in Articles 263 and 228 of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the EU respectively.
Yours sincerely,
Gianmarco Di Vita
Electronically signed on 10/06/2020 16:05 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563
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