46 EU and Georgia: EU Monitoring Mission
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| Council Decision amending Joint Action 2010/452/CFSP on the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia)
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| Legal base | Articles 28, 42(4) and 43(2) TEU; unanimity
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| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 16 July 2013
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (34144) —: HC 86-xi (2012-13), chapter 22 (5 September 2012); (33076) —: HC 428-xxxv (2010-12), chapter 17 (7 September 2011) and (31738) — and (31812) —: HC 428-ii (2010-12), chapter 25 (15 September 2010)
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| Discussion in Council | Before 14 September 2013
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
46.1 The previous and present Committee's initial and subsequent
consideration of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia)
is fully summarised in the first of the Reports under reference
and detailed in the others.[173]
46.2 A year ago, the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
said that the EUMM had helped to maintain stability: in particular
during potentially tense de facto leadership changes in
the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; coupled with
Vladimir Putin's return to the Russian Presidency, the mission
had "found itself in a shifting political dynamic."
EUMM had a clear and important role to play in monitoring the
security situation at the Administrative Boundary Lines (ABLs),
providing an early warning capability and a means to defuse tensions
through both the hotline[174]
and the Incident Prevention and Reporting Mechanism (IPRM); with
the suspension since April of the Abkhaz-theatre IPRM and increased
reliance on the hotline, it was important to support the mission
at a difficult but important time.
46.3 He also noted that a (second) strategic review
had concluded that the mission had continued successfully to deliver
its tasks and had recommended the extension of the mission's current
mandate for another 12 months. He described EUMM Georgia as a
key aspect of the EU's commitment to stabilisation and conflict
resolution efforts in Georgia, noting that it was the only CSDP
mission to which all 27 Member States contributed personnel and
the only international monitoring presence in the area, following
the Russian veto of the UN and OSCE missions, forcing their closure
in June 2009.
46.4 Looking forward, the Minister pointed out that
Georgia would hold parliamentary elections in October 2012 (and
presidential elections in 2013); this would be a busy and potentially
tense period for Georgia domestically, during which EUMM would
provide an increased visible presence at the ABLs in order to
diffuse any potential tension at times of heightened sensitivity.
Instability in the breakaway regions remained a threat and Russia
continued to consolidate its military presence there. Given the
proximity of Abkhazia to Sochi, Russia could also be expected
to take an activist approach on security issues in the region
in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics. All these considerations,
the Minister said, demonstrated the need for stability and continuity
that the EUMM would provide.
Our assessment
46.5 Although it raised no questions, we again reported
this mandate extension to the House because of the degree of interest
in the situation in this area; and cleared the draft Council Decision.[175]
The further Council Decision
46.6 This draft Council Decision extends the mandate
of EUMM Georgia for 15 months, until 14 December 2014, and allocates
€26,650,000 of funding for this period. The Decision makes
no significant changes to the mandate of the mission. The EUMM
will therefore continue to monitor the terms of the 12 August
and 8 September 2008 ceasefire agreements and implementing measures,
and contribute to the long term stability of Georgia and the South
Caucasus as a whole.
The Government's view
46.7 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 16 July 2013,
the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) says that, since
it first deployed, EUMM has contributed significantly to the overall
EU effort towards conflict resolution in Georgia: "At least
200 monitors, uphold the political commitment that the EU gave
to provide a credible, visible and effective monitoring presence
along the Administrative Boundary Lines."
46.8 The Minister says that the EU "continues
to push for EUMM to have access to the breakaway regions of Abkhazia
(ABK) and South Ossetia (SO), although the authorities in those
areas have yet to agree."
46.9 He continues his comments as follows:
"The EUMM helped to maintain stability during
its current mandate: in particular during potentially tense parliamentary
elections and military exercises by the Russian Federation and
others last Autumn. The mission encouraged all sides to provide
advance notice of exercises and movement of personnel and equipment
to prevent accusations of intimidation. The EUMM's increased
visibility along the Administrative Boundary Lines (ABLs) played
a part in pre-empting conflict. On Election Day (1 October) there
were no reported security incidents.
"In this context, the EUMM has played a vital
role in stabilising and providing security to the region. Through
daily monitoring activities at the ABLs and the Incident Prevention
and Response Mechanism (IPRM), consisting of monthly meetings
and a hotline, the Mission has often defused tensions between
the parties, as happened in December 2012 when an exchange of
fire took place near Koda close to the SO ABL.
"The EUMM has also continued to coordinate discussions
and pragmatic solutions to issues affecting communities living
in areas adjacent to ABK and SO, such as granting a farmer access
to his land, supporting irrigation rehabilitation projects and
allowing for medical evacuations. Through the hotline, the Mission
has secured the release of prisoners who have been detained for
ABL border violations and has shared information exchanges about
missing persons.
"However, relations with the de facto
authorities of ABK and SO continue to be difficult following the
Abkhaz refusal to allow the EUMM Head of Mission (HoM), Andrzej
Tyszkiewicz access to its IPRM meetings which have consequently
been suspended since April 2012. While the EUMM continues to
liaise with all parties through the hotline and the Geneva discussions,
the absence of IPRM meetings with ABK and access to the breakaway
regions is a major constraint towards full mandate implementation."
46.10 The Minister notes that Mr. Tyszkiewicz left
the EUMM on 30 June towards the end of his two year tenure: "Baroness
Ashton has not yet proposed a replacement. Once a new HoM is
in place, we see an opportunity for the ABK IPRM to be reinstated
in the next few months."
46.11 In order to demonstrate the continuing impact
of the work of the EUMM, the Minister cites these examples of
its activities:
"EUMM engaged with the new Government during
the winter to highlight the needs of communities close to the
SO ABL who could not access adequate heating materials. These
communities are some of the poorest in Georgia. Their access
to woodland is cut off by the ABL and their remoteness makes piped
gas provision poor.
"Many locals are detained each year crossing
the ABL to gather firewood. Following EUMM's engagement, the
Georgian Government provided a winter fuel allowance to particularly
vulnerable households. While we hope that more sustainable provisions
will be possible in the future, this interim measure has contributed
to lower number of detentions along the SO ABL in the first quarter
of 2013 (compared to the same period in 2012)
"The EUMM plays a role in facilitating activities
(such as irrigation rehabilitation projects) near the ABLs by
keeping all parties informed of new initiatives. This allows
work to go ahead which directly benefits local populations. The
Mission facilitated the repair of street lighting on the bridge
which crosses the ABK ABL. The Mission informed all parties of
the planned repair work by a local energy company and the work
went ahead without incident.
"In late May, "borderisation" in the
villages of Ditsi and Dvani became the focus of much press attention
with civilian protests held on the Georgian side, resulting in
some detentions by Russian Federation Border Guards. The Georgian
authorities came under pressure to support local populations.
The EUMM worked intensively to patrol the areas of tension, ensure
that local agreements were respected and facilitate information
exchange to avoid any escalation. The mission's public statement[176]
was timely and well-judged."
46.12 The Minister notes that Georgian Parliamentary
elections in 2012 brought in a new government led by Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili:
"Since October, there has been a tense and difficult
political cohabitation between President Saakashvili and
the Government. The next three months leading up to the Georgian
Presidential elections in October 2013 are likely to remain tense.
A continued EUMM presence will help to diffuse possible tensions
during these periods of heightened sensitivity."
46.13 The Minister supports an extension of EUMM
"as the presence of the Mission reduces the risk of future
conflict including through confidence building, objective reporting,
fact-finding, and its contributions to the Geneva Talks and through
local dialogue".
46.14 Looking ahead, the Minister says:
"the Sochi Winter Olympics will take place in
February 2014 close to the border with ABK. This will be a busy
and potentially unstable time in Georgia. Given the proximity
of ABK to Sochi, Russia is taking an activist approach on security
issues in the area in the run-up to the Winter Olympics and instability
remains a threat. Russia continues to consolidate its military
presence in the breakaway regions and "borderise" the
ABL, taking an increasingly aggressive approach in recent months
(since January borderisation activities have intensified with
further signs, barbed wire, surveillance equipment and fencing
erected along the SO ABL in particular). I made a statement in
June underlining my concerns over these borderisation incidents.[177]
The new Georgian government is pursuing a policy of limited engagement
with Russia. However, Georgia's insistence on its territorial
integrity and commitment to NATO membership remain red lines for
Russia."
46.15 On the prospects for the mission, the Minister
explains that:
"Following the Sochi Winter Games, the EU's
civilian Crisis Management and Planning Directorate will carry
out a Strategic Review on the future of the EUMM. The Strategic
Review will be presented to the EU's Political and Security Committee
during Spring 2014. I would normally expect a strategic review
to be carried out prior to each mandate extension. However, EUMM's
mandate was only extended for 12 months in 2012 and given the
lack of any significant breakthrough on the ground, the EEAS decided
that there would not be a Strategic Review prior to this year's
proposed mandate extension. The UK is content with this approach.
The Strategic Review in 2014 will be comprehensive in nature,
providing a thorough assessment of the functions of the mission
and potential changes taking into account post-Sochi political
and security developments which may impact on the operational
environment of the EUMM.
"The proposed extension period of 15 months
is an unusual length for a new mandate. Some Member States had
proposed a 24 months extension, which we deemed too long given
the fluid context within which EUMM operates and consequent strong
possibility that a single mandate would not remain appropriate
over such a long period. Others proposed 12 months which we thought
was too short a time for the mission to develop a realistic plan
for exit, given the pressure that EUMM will be under dealing with
Sochi and the elections. The UK successfully brokered a compromise
at 15 months. We judged that this would be sufficient time to
cover a period of potentially difficult events, properly assess
Russia's approach to the region post-Sochi and carry out a detailed
analysis of the Strategic Review on the future of the mission".
46.16 Finally, looking at some of the broader parameters,
the Minister says:
"The EUMM is part of a comprehensive EU approach
to Georgia. In the Council Conclusions on Georgia adopted by
the Foreign Affairs Council in October 2012, the EU confirmed
its commitment to remain engaged in stabilisation and conflict
resolution efforts in Georgia, including by continuing as co-chair
in the Geneva Discussions, the efforts of the EU Special Representative
for South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia and the continued
presence of the EUMM.
"The EUMM remains the only international actor
on the ground in Georgia and will continue to contribute to Georgia's
security and stability. The exit strategy of EUMM is currently
based on successful conflict resolution processes (linked, among
other things, to the implementation of the Six Point Agreement
in the long term) and in the context of a coherent and strategic
EU approach to conflict resolution in Georgia.
"The UK continues to support Georgia with its
democratic transition, particularly through regular and intensive
inward and outward Ministerial visits. In particular, recent
messaging has focused on the need for Georgia to build upon the
relative success of the Parliamentary elections in 2012 to ensure
that the Presidential elections in October are free and fair.
The UK is planning to send election observers.
"The region is of strategic importance to the
UK and the EU. Continued stability is also key for the UK's prosperity
and energy security goals. BP as part of the Shah Deniz Consortium
(SDC), with a 25.5% stake, is the current operator of the Shah
Deniz I gas field in Azerbaijan, one of the world's largest gas
condensate fields. The SDC are looking to invest substantially
to extend the field to supply gas to the EU and to expand the
South Caucasus Pipeline (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey). Georgia
will remain a vital transit route for Azerbaijani oil and gas."
Conclusion
46.17 We are grateful to the Minister for his
thorough exposition of the Mission's work over the past twelve
months and of the context in which it operates, which is plainly
of growing strategic significance to both the UK and the EU as
a whole.
46.18 We also again commend the Minister for having
ensured that the mandate extension has been submitted in good
time to allow for proper prior scrutiny.
46.19 We now clear the Council Decision.
173 See headnote. Back
174
The EUMM acts as a hotline between actors. On the one side, the
Russian Federation Armed Forces, the Russian Federation Border
Guards and the de facto authorities and on the other side
the Georgian Government. Incidents can be reported to the EUMM
who contacts the relevant hotline holders to inform them of, or
verify the reports. Incidents or issues which cannot be resolved
over the hotline are referred to the monthly Incident Prevention
and Reporting Mechanism meetings where all parties meet in the
relevant theatre to seek resolution. Back
175
See headnote: (34144) -: HC 86-xi (2012-13), chapter 22 (5 September
2012). Back
176
See http://eumm.eu/en/press_and_public_information/press_releases/3862/?year=2013&month=6. Back
177
See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-office-minister-comments-on-recent-activities-along-the-south-ossetian-administrative-boundary-line. Back
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