1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,720 It's early morning in a small village in central Bosnia. 2 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:34,680 Dutch EU4 soldiers, with a Bosnian policeman alongside, are going from house to house 3 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,320 to search for hidden weapons. 4 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,200 Ten years after the bloody war, people still have guns and grenades in their homes, nervous 5 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,400 that the conflict may reignite. 6 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:50,320 European Union peacekeepers reassure villagers if they hand in their weapons voluntarily, 7 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,040 there'll be no prosecution. 8 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:59,160 This amnesty, known as Operation Harvest, last year netted 30,000 hand grenades, 9,000 9 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:04,540 small arms, and 3 million rounds of ammunition. 10 00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:10,480 What we are principally here to do is to give an absolute guarantee that hostilities will 11 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:11,960 not resume here. 12 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:17,000 And in order to do that, we have to demonstrate that we are a credible military force that 13 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:22,440 has a robust operational capability. 14 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:28,120 Here in Pali, once the headquarters of Bosnian-Serb strongman Radovan Karadzic, EU4 troops, this 15 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,040 time Italian, are setting up roadblocks. 16 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,040 It's part of a crackdown on smuggling and organized crime networks, which are threatening 17 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,360 economic progress and protecting former warlords. 18 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,800 When the EU took over peacekeeping duties from NATO at the end of last year, their aim 19 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,120 was to build confidence among local people. 20 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:55,360 EU4 soldiers are living in 50 villages throughout the country, getting to know the people and 21 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:00,400 also gathering intelligence, eyes and ears on the ground, as the search continues for 22 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,200 indicted war criminals. 23 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:09,040 I think the situation in Bosnia is now such that I would characterize our mission as more 24 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:16,160 one of reassurance to the people of Bosnia, because they still fear that if the international 25 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:23,200 community, particularly the military presence, left Bosnia, then they would feel exposed 26 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:30,240 and fearful of people with maybe unfinished business, maybe political hotheads. 27 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,080 The 7,000-strong mission in Bosnia is by far the most ambitious EU military deployment 28 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:41,340 to date, a sign of the EU's commitment to the security of the country. 29 00:02:41,340 --> 00:02:45,800 The police mission already at work here is further evidence of that commitment, its aim 30 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,000 to help the Bosnian police force meet international standards. 31 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:55,040 It's perhaps fitting that Europe is deploying its new military capabilities here. 32 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,940 It was in the Balkans, after all, in the 1990s, that the EU learned many lessons during the 33 00:02:59,940 --> 00:03:02,560 breakup of the former Yugoslavia. 34 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,160 An American-led NATO intervention finally ended the conflict, but Europe knew that in 35 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:12,120 future it must be able to deal with crises on its own doorstep. 36 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:19,080 The European Union is a group of countries, 25 countries, with a population altogether 37 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:24,600 of double the population of the United States, four times the population of Japan. We have 38 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:31,600 to be an actor in the international affairs. We are not to construct an army to go to war. 39 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:38,520 We want to have forces which can be together from different countries in order to maintain 40 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,920 peace or to create peace where peace has been broken. 41 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,960 In 1999, a summit in Helsinki marked the birth of Europe's security and defence policy. 42 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:53,960 EU leaders pledged to build up a European crisis management capacity of up to 60,000 43 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,960 soldiers, able to deal with 21st century dangers. 44 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:04,160 A military structure was established in Brussels, including an EU military staff, with representatives 45 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:05,960 from every European country. 46 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,000 When we remember the balance of the Cold War, it was terrifying. 47 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,000 It was clashes which could destroy the world several hundred times. 48 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Today we are no longer in this context of threat, but the dangers are smaller but more probable. 49 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:32,000 That is to say that there are more security threats, paradoxically, which can occur in 50 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,000 the current world than in the old world. 51 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:41,000 The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the first test for the EU's peacekeeping 52 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 operations without NATO involvement. 53 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,000 In June 2003, the United Nations asked Europe to intervene. 54 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,000 It was to be the first EU military mission outside of Europe, manned mainly by the French, 55 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,000 but under an EU flag. 56 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:03,000 The successful Congo mission showed how the EU can play its own role without duplicating 57 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,040 the efforts of NATO. 58 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:11,040 From that came an ambitious plan to create 13 rapid-reaction battle groups of up to 1,500 59 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:19,040 soldiers, which can be sent to stabilise trouble spots or protect humanitarian operations. 60 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:24,040 The aim is for swift deployment within just five days. 61 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:28,040 We simply cannot afford to sit back and say, we're going to debate this for several weeks 62 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,080 or months before we deploy force. 63 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:36,080 And really underlying the European approach, battle groups, is a recognition that the kinds 64 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:41,080 of modern crises have to be resolved quickly in order to prevent them getting out of hand, 65 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,080 in order to prevent this becoming a still worse problem. 66 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,080 The battle group concept is part of a package of defence measures to shake up the EU's 67 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:54,080 military capabilities by the end of the decade. 68 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:59,120 The European Defence Agency, recently established, will play a key role. 69 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:06,120 Its job, to help Europe's countries rethink and coordinate their €160bn defence spending. 70 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:12,120 We still, collectively across Europe, spend too much money on heavy metal and high explosive, 71 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:19,120 and not enough on those more modern technologies which are highly relevant to deployed operations 72 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:25,160 around Europe's periphery, communication technologies, observation technologies. 73 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:31,160 We are in effect moving from the industrial age of warfare to the information age. 74 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:35,160 There's a technological revolution going on. 75 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:40,160 But where does NATO fit in as the EU builds up its own military strategies? 76 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:46,160 In reality, Europe's defence policy is being developed in partnership with the Atlantic Alliance. 77 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:51,200 And a large EU operation, such as in Bosnia, still shares NATO facilities. 78 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,200 For example, communications and satellite systems. 79 00:06:54,200 --> 00:07:00,200 These systems exist. It would be hugely expensive for the EU to set up parallel systems. 80 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:07,200 So, if you like, we sort of subcontract from NATO and use those systems. 81 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,200 NATO has a very sophisticated intelligence architecture, 82 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:15,200 which we couldn't set up and replicate for an individual EU operation. 83 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:20,240 So, NATO releases intelligence information to the EU. 84 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,240 The huge advantage the EU has in developing a defence policy 85 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,240 is that it has more than just military means to call upon. 86 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:34,240 It can use diplomatic or economic measures to manage crises, as well as civilian intervention. 87 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:41,240 Europe's security strategy stresses the need for a ring of well-governed countries surrounding the EU. 88 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,280 And the former Soviet state of Georgia 89 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,280 saw the Union apply a new approach in civilian crisis management. 90 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:52,280 After Georgia's Rose Revolution in 2003, 91 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,280 the country was ready for a fresh start, 92 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:58,280 but first had to tackle a legacy of corruption and instability. 93 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,280 With a barely functioning police and judicial system, 94 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,280 the country's new president asked the EU for help. 95 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,280 Within just 11 days of the request last April, 96 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,320 it was agreed to set up the first EU rule-of-law mission here. 97 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:15,360 The EU sent a team of judges and legal experts to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, 98 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,360 not far from the border. 99 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,360 The EU has a very sophisticated intelligence architecture, 100 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,360 which we couldn't set up and replicate for an individual EU operation. 101 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,360 So, NATO releases intelligence information to the EU. 102 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,360 After Georgia's Rose Revolution in 2003, 103 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,360 the country was ready for a fresh start, 104 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,360 but first had to tackle a legacy of corruption and instability. 105 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,400 The EU sent a team of judges and legal experts to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, 106 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,400 not with money, but to support the country for one year 107 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,400 in drawing up a judicial reform plan. 108 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:51,400 Heading the team is Sylvie Pance, 109 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,400 a French judge and prosecutor with wide international experience. 110 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:13,400 I'm not used to making decisions, I'm not proud to be a judge. 111 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,400 It's a very slow, dubious system. 112 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,400 It's not serious. 113 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,400 New mobile police patrols have already been introduced 114 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,400 by the Georgian government 115 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,400 to replace part of its notoriously corrupt police force. 116 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,400 It's restored some public confidence, 117 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,400 but faith in the judiciary remains low. 118 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,400 I don't want to be a judge, 119 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,400 but I don't want to be a criminal. 120 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,400 I don't want to be a criminal, 121 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,400 but I don't want to be a criminal. 122 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,400 I don't want to be a criminal. 123 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:56,400 Every element of the penal system, 124 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,400 including police training and prison conditions, 125 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,400 is being scrutinised by the EU experts. 126 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,400 Sylvie Pance and her team have regular briefings 127 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,400 with the Georgian Prime Minister 128 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,440 and will shortly present their final reform recommendations. 129 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,440 I'm quite proud that the EU has thought about this, 130 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,440 because it's something that the United Nations has not done, 131 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,440 and it's something that, from my point of view, 132 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,440 because of the experience of the experts, 133 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,440 because of the diversity of the expertise they can provide, 134 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:35,440 all these elements allow a mission of this kind to succeed. 135 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,440 Back in Bosnia, this military mission must succeed too, 136 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,440 first and foremost for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 137 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,440 but also to demonstrate that the EU 138 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,440 is now successfully building up military muscle 139 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,440 in conjunction with its civilian crisis management, 140 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,440 and to demonstrate that the European Union 141 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,440 has come of age as a global security player.