European Union Military Committee

The European Union Military Committee (EUMC) is a department of military officials under the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. The EUMC gives military advice to the PSC and the High Representative. It also oversees the European Union Military Staff.

The EUMC was formally established in December 2000 by the European Council of Nice, and is one of several defence and security-related bodies established as a result of the Helsinki Headline Goal, which was decided in December 1999. EUMC is composed of the Chiefs of Defence of the EU Member States who are represented on a regular basis by their permanent military representatives in Brussels, who often are two- or three-star flag officers. A similar committee also exists within NATO, and those countries which are members of both EU and NATO have in most cases chosen to use the same person as permanent military representative to both organisations.

The EUMC is chaired by a General Officer, Admiral, or Air Officer of four-star level (i.e. NATO OF-9 equivalent) who is selected by the Chiefs of Defence and appointed by the Council of the European Union. For a term of three years the Chairman is the spokesperson for the EUMC, he participates in PSC meetings as appropriate, he is the military adviser to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) who heads the EEAS European External Action Service, he represents the primary point of contact with the Operation Commanders of the EU's military operations and he attends Council meetings with defence and security implications.

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