Brussels, 26/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 26 April, France and Italy reiterated how keen they were to deepen common foreign security and defence policy (CSDP), and called for concrete decisions to be taken, especially with regard to planning and conduct capability of operations, during the second half of this year under Polish presidency. In a joint statement approved at the Franco-Italian summit in Rome (see related articles), Silvio Berlusconi and Nicolas Sarkozy affirm that, on the strength of their bilateral cooperation, especially between defence industries, France and Italy also reaffirm their attachment to strengthening CSDP, and underline the need to consolidate the latter. Both countries are in favour of strengthening the EU's ability to act in the context of CSDP operations, everywhere where the situation and the interests of the EU call for such action, and using all the instruments available to it. France and Italy are also convinced there is a need to strengthen and develop, on a permanent basis, the existing structures for EU operations planning and conduct capability in Brussels. In the field of capabilities, Rome and Paris have agreed to support the work accomplished by the European Defence Agency (EDA) to back efforts being made by member states to facilitate a better sharing of the tasks and heightened cooperation between them and within the EU/NATO framework. The two countries call on Catherine Ashton to swiftly present precise proposals, especially a progress report on capabilities and operations, EU/NATO relations and the permanent operations planning and conduct capability with a view to concrete results to be attained at the European Council under Polish presidency of the EU Council. (H.B./transl.jl)