EU Command Center for Military Missions to Be Opened Soon - German Minister

The European Union's joint Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) unit will be created as soon as possible, Germany's Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth said Monday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — The creation of the European Union's joint Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) unit, aimed at increasing security and defense cooperation among EU member states, is only a matter of time, Germany's Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth said Monday.

"We have reached a consensus that the command center will be created, the only question is when. I am sure that the call of EU citizens to work together in the security sphere and agree on specific steps will be heard everywhere," Roth told reporters ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

On March 6, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said EU foreign and defense ministers approved the creation of the MPCC unit for the planning and conduct of non-executive military missions.

The creation of the center is envisaged within the EU global strategy in the security and defense area and will be functioning under the political control and strategic guidance of the Political and Security Committee (PSC), according to the European Council.