The March Foreign Affairs Council will start with a discussion the permanent structured cooperation (PESCO). Ministers are expected to adopt a decision formally establishing the list of projects to be developed under PESCO. They are also expected to adopt a recommendation on an implementation roadmap of PESCO.

Last December, the Council adopted a decision establishing PESCO. The 25 member states taking part in PESCO have already agreed on the initial list of 17 collaborative projects.

Defence ministers will exchange views on the implementation of the EU Global Strategy in the field of security and defence. They will focus amongst others on the coordinated annual review on defence (CARD), the European defence fund (EDF), CSDP partnerships, and the ongoing work on military mobility.

The Council will then review the EU training missions deployed in Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia. It will be the opportunity to review the functioning of the military planning and conduct capability (MPCC). Established in June 2017, the MPCC oversees EU training missions.

Over lunch, defence ministers will discuss EU-NATO cooperation together with the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg.