| Finabel | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms of Finabel |
|
Finabel member states marked blue |
|
| Motto | Reflexion serving military action |
| Formation | January 1, 1953 |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization |
| Membership | 16 EU member states |
| Website | http://espace-finabel.eu |
Finabel is a European organisation created with a view to promote interoperability and cooperation between the national armies of the member states of the European Union (EU).[1] The organisation was founded in 1953, and its name is the acronym of the initial letters of the member states - France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It became FINABEL when Germany (Allemagne) joined in 1956, shortly after West Germany was rearmed in 1955. Later, the name has been kept as a proper noun, written in lower-case, when membership further expanded. Finabel was founded by armies which belonged to both NATO and Western European Union.
Finabel is under the control of the member states' army chiefs of staff, and the organisation's work agenda consists of studies and working groups. Finabel has a small permanent secretariat of a few people. The studies carried out by Finabel take the form of : - Reports: results of studies entrusted to the Working Groups. - Agreements: relate to the military characteristics of equipment. - Conventions: standardise procedures, testing methods and glossaries in order to facilitate exchanges between member states.
Contents |
Executive, the highest level. It meets once a year to summarise work of the past year and to establish the objectives for the coming year. The chairmanship of the committee changes annually.
Made up primarily of officers responsible for doctrine, planning and studies within the staff of land components of Finabel member states. It meets twice a year to analyse the directives of the Chiefs of Staff and reformulate them in terms of missions to be distributed among the Working Groups. Belgium has provided a chairman for this committee.
Located in Brussels, the only permanent structure. It deals with administrative and organisational matters.
4 Standing Working Groups carry out studies (missions) distributed by the Principal Military Experts Committee in various areas of interest to the Armies.
- ENGAGEMENT: (Engage / Protect / Training) - "Effective Engagement", it studies and harmonises the doctrine, methods of action and procedures relating to the use of land forces.
- MANOEUVRE: (Sustainability / Deployability) - "Effective Logistics".
- KNOWLEDGE: (C4I / Information & Intel).
- FORCE DEVELOPMENT: "Conceptual and prospective studies". It drafts general concepts for Finabel and undertakes conceptual and prospective studies in order to create a framework for further studies by Finabel Working Groups.
Chaired by the head of the Permanent Secretariat, it gathers all Working Groups'chairmen. Provides a better coordination between Finabel members and a close collaboration between the groups.
As of 2008, membership consists of 15 countries:
Finabel has as its stated ambition to bring in all 27 member states of the European Union within the organisation.
The coat of arms of Finabel of Finabel shows Mars (representing war) and Athena (or Minerva; representing the rules and order which characterise EU democracies) Argent on a field Azure, with a border Argent. This escutcheon lays upon two crossed swords Or and the twelve mullets Or (from the European Union's flag). The motto of the organisation is La réflexion au service de l'action militaire (French for Reflexion serving military action).[2]