Professor Christoph Meyer, Dr Yf Reykers (Maastricht University), and Lieutenant General Ton van Osch (Royal Netherlands Army) carried out an in-depth analysis into the creation of a ‘European Rapid Deployment Capacity’ (RDC) for the parliament’s security and defence sub-committee.

The report examines the challenges and questions around the foundations for deploying a 5,000 strong RDC tailored to different scenarios as well as how it might successfully be achieved.

Prof Meyer, from the Department of European and International Studies, said: “Our paper highlights the considerable potential for the rapid deployment capacity to improve on the EU battlegroups that were never used. It could help to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy, and positively contribute to the EU’s integrated approach to security and peace.

“Yet, the timetable is highly ambitious and will require member states to give its achievement a high priority in their contributions. Apart from improving operational readiness and capacity, the new EU RDC must be designed as a fresh start to signal clearly the substantial commitment troop contributing nations enter into not just in Brussels, but also explain this audiences at home.”