The planning conference for the EU Battlegroup 2025 took place yesterday and today in Vienna. The participants are representatives of ten EU states that are contributing military forces to the intervention force. These include Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia. The aim of the conference in Vienna is to coordinate international cooperation and plan joint exercises.
“By participating in the EU Battlegroup, Austria is supporting the common security and defense policy and making a significant contribution. I am proud that Austria, by taking over the logistical leadership of the rapid reaction force, is making a solidary contribution to this common security policy concept and contributing to the EU’s crisis management,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. The concept for the deployment of the rapid reaction force is to be finalized by the end of the year. The aim of the joint force is to be deployed to various missions as quickly as possible. The spectrum of missions ranges from humanitarian aid and evacuation operations to stabilization missions. The EU Battlegroup is of particular importance as it forms the individual building blocks of a joint EU intervention force. Joint exercises and training will begin in 2023 and the force should be fully operational by 2025. In March 2022, the European Union’s “Strategic Compass” was adopted, which defines the security policy ambition and envisages a joint deployment of up to 5,000 soldiers. The core of the battlegroup will be formed together with Germany and the Netherlands – Austria will take the logistical lead. The battlegroup will be deployed for twelve months and will be available for operations in areas up to 6,000 kilometers from Brussels. The final decision on a joint deployment is to be made in accordance with Austrian security policy.
