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Common Security and Defence Policy forces (European Union)

European Corps (Eurocorps)
European Gendarmerie Force (Eurogendfor / EGF)
European Maritime Force (Euromarfor / EMF)
Nordic Battlegroup

See also:

European Union

Eurocorps

Flag of the Eurocorps - Image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 8 February 2002

The European Corps, a first step to a future European Army, is composed of five member nations: Belgium (1993), France (1992), Germany (1992), Luxembourg (1996), and Spain 1994), and of five associated nations: Greece (2002), Italy (2009), Poland (2002), Romania (2016), and Turkey (2002). Austria (2002-2011), Canada (2003-2007), and Finland (2002-2006) were once associated nations.

The flag of the Eurocorps (photo) is light blue with the Eurocorps emblem in the middle.
The emblem, which is undoubtedly to be worn as a shoulder patch, is a lineal descendant of the one worn by Eisenhower in 1944.

Marc Pasquin, Al Kirsch & Ivan Sache, 9 February 2018

Eurogendfor

Flag of the European Gendarmerie Force - Image by Zoltán Horváth, 25 June 2014

The European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR or EGF; official website; Wikipedia) was launched by an agreement in 2006 between five member states of the European Union: France, Italy, the Netherlands,Portugal and Spain. Romania subsequently joined in 2009, and Poland was invited to join in 2011. Its purpose is the creation of a European intervention force with militarised police functions and specialise in crisis management, designed after the French Gendarmerie, the Spanish Guardia Civil, and the Italian Carabinieri and its Multinational Specialized Units (M.S.U.). Its status is enshrined in the Treaty of Velsen of 18 October 2007. The EGF is based in Vicenza, in northeastern Italy, and has a core of 800 to 900 members ready to deploy within 30 days.

The French Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie first proposed this force on September 2003; she and the Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino presented it at the Meeting of European Union Defense Ministers, on October 2003. The implentation agreement was finally signed by defence ministers of the five countries on September 17, 2004 in Noordwijk, Netherlands. On 23 January 2006, the EGF was officially inaugurated during a military ceremony in the Gen. Chinotto barracks in Vicenza.
The EGF was declared fully operational on 20 July 2006, following the High Level Interministerial meeting in Madrid, Spain, and its second successful Command Post exercise (CPX), which took place between 19Ð28 April 2006. The first CPX was held at the National Gendarmerie Training Center in Saint Astier, France, in June 2005.

The flag of the European Gendarmerie Force (photo) is blue with the logo in the middle.

Esteban Rivera, 25 June 2014

Euromarfor

Flag of Euromarfor - Image by Željko Heimer, 8 December 1997

The flag of Euromarfor is blue with four yellow stars and "EUROMARFOR" in yellow.
[Album des Pavillons, [pay00]]

Armand du Payrat, 8 December 1997

Nordic Battle Group

Command signal of the NBG - Image by Eugene Ipavec, 9 July 2006

Sweden, Norway and Finland have reached agreement to collaborate in the establishment of a so-called battlegroup to be placed at the disposal of the EU as of January 2008. The three countries have also agreed to include Estonia in this collaboration. Since then, Ireland, Latvia and Lituania have joined the collaboration.
The background to the agreement lies in the EU decision to establish 13 so-called battlegroups (subsequebntly, 18), each consisting of about 1,500 military personnel. The aim is to establish flexible rapid reaction forces capable of deploying at short notice to take part in operations to maintain or re-establish peace and security. The concept has been developed in conjunction with the UN and the forces are intended to reinforce the UN's crisis management capability. Participation in an EU operation presupposes that a clear mandate has been established under international law.

The command signal of the NBG is square, horizontally divided blue-yellow-blue, with blue Roman numeral "V" in the yellow stripe. The "V" may also be interpreted as "Victory", referring to the battle group motto: "Victory through Values". The flag was introduced at a ceremony held on 12 May 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kristian Söderberg, 12 May 2006