Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The expert community focuses on the 20 November meeting of the EU Defense Council.

Following the meeting with the ministers of defense of the EU countries, the head of EU diplomacy J. Borrell said that the EU had launched the second phase of its military program, Permanent Structured Cooperation on Security and Defense (PESCO).

It is indicated that during the meeting of the EU Council, the first prepared joint report of the intelligence services of the EU member states was considered, which gives a strategic assessment of the EU’s defense capability.

Commenting on the results of the meeting of the heads of the EU countries’ defense ministries, experts note that the EU’s defense suffers from fragmentation, duplication and insufficient operations. Based on this, as observers report, over the next few years, a single document will be created on the assessment of threats to the security of the European Union - "Strategic Compass", which will most of all resemble NATO’s strategic concept.

It is planned that, thanks to the document, the EU can move forward in developing responses to threats. The response will be focused on four areas:

1) ensuring sustainability in the field of security;

2) developing the capacity to respond to threats;

3) partnership;

4) anti-crisis management.

In general, according to experts, although J. Borrel assures that the strategic autonomy of the EU does not mean an intention to leave NATO or break the alliance with the United States, the Concept being developed is aimed at expanding the EU’s capabilities to independently conduct military operations without relying on the United States and NATO, if relations between Brussels and Washington will continue to deteriorate.

In the event of a new thaw in relations between them, the EU will see these efforts as a way to become a more effective military ally for the United States. In addition, the implementation of military projects of the EU countries should make European military equipment more competitive in comparison with the products of the US defense industry.