The phrase "essential precondition" means a necessary requirement or factor that must be met or available beforehand in order for something else to happen or be possible. Full definition
Drugs can sedate, but they do not help children deal with trauma — in fact, they may prevent recovery by interfering with learning and the formation of relationships, essential preconditions for becoming functioning adults.» (advokids.org)
Even the search giant, whose US$ 60 - billion business was putatively built on impulsive clicks, has acquired a new reverence for awareness as the essential precondition for successful marketing. (canadianbusiness.com)
Early on in his presidency, Obama identified a settlement freeze as the essential precondition for progress in the American - sponsored peace process. (blog.politics.ox.ac.uk)