The mechanism for managing the common costs of EU operations having military or defence implications is known as Athena. Yet that mechanism is based on a paradox, since on the one hand the Treaty on European Union proscribes any Community military funding, yet on the other EU military interventions are now a reality. This state of affairs has forced the Council to create a completely new ad hoc arrangement, one that has presented a number of difficulties but also a great opportunity, since it has proved adaptable to the specific needs of each operation in terms of flexibility and reactivity.