HELSINKI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Lieutenant General Esa Pulkkinen, Director General of the European Union Military Staff, said in Helsinki on Tuesday that the establishment of the "Military Planning and Conduct Capability" last week was the first concrete step into the direction of a joint defense of the European Union (EU).
Pulkkinen said the new command structure to be developed in Brussels is part of "European autonomy". "Command centers are needed so that Europe can, when it wants, lead its own operations without needing help from anyone else," he said.
"European capabilities must not be overlapping with NATO," he added. "With them, the EU can launch and run small scale operations outside Europe."
Pulkkinen briefed the Finnish parliamentary committees on defense and foreign affairs on the aims of the joint defense of the EU and on the commitments expected from Finland. Before his EU duties, Pulkkinen served in the Finnish Defence Forces.
Pulkkinen told Finnish national broadcaster Yle that once a member country joins the system, it must commit itself to the development of capabilities and their use.
Pulkkinen said the EU military units-on-duty meant for crisis management and control have remained unused for the past 10 years, but will be now revitalized.
The military units, provided by member countries on a rotating basis, have been in full preparedness since their establishment in 2007, but there has not been enough political will to use them, Pulkkinen noted.
Asked about the suspicions in some EU countries about financing "double operations" parallel to NATO, Pulkkinen said the EU operations do not overlap but rather complement NATO capabilities.
"NATO has largely returned to its basic duties and collective defense," Pulkkinen said. "That has vacated space for the EU in defending the union's outer perimeter."
Of the current 28 member countries of the EU, 22 belong to NATO.
Pulkkinen saw the realization of the fact that "the EU cannot control its outer borders" during the refugee crisis as a key motivating factor. He said further decisions on the development of the EU defense, its structures and financing can be expected later this year.
