EU Battlegroups – “Ambitious but rubbish?”

Abstract: A substantial development of the EU’s military capabilities has occurred over the past ten years, and the Battlegroups form a rapid response element of these capabilities. The Battlegroups are however relatively small and have a limited capability when it comes to combat tasks, they are more suited to peacekeeping missions or assisting in humanitarian operations. They have been active for almost five years but have still not been deployed in any operation and consequently received criticism that they are a waste of resources, especially since NATO already has a similar rapid response element. I argue that the EU Battlegroups are not a waste of resources and must be seen as a part of the total growth of the ESDP. I have mapped the institutional development of the Battlegroup concept by looking at documentation regarding formal security and defence. Battlegroups are an integral part of the general institutionalisation of foreign policy cooperation, initiated by the will of a few significant EU member states as well as exogenous events like the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. The Battlegroups also have a function as a catalyst for the structural reorganisation of Europe’s armed forces since the end of the Cold War.