Brussels, 24/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The decisions taken by the EU Council on 14 February on the interim bodies and structures to create while waiting for the setting up of permanent bodies responsible for the common European policy in security and defence matters (CSDP) provided for by Article 17 of the Amsterdam Treaty have been published in the Official Journal (L/49/1). These decisions provide for:
(1) the creation of an "Interim Political and Security Committee", to meet in Brussels, "when the Political Committee is not in session". The new Committee will meet under a "separate formation", and be composed of national representatives - at "senior/ambassadorial level" - within the framework of Member States Permanent Representations. Its role is, in close contact with the Secretary General/High Representatives for Cfsp, to: - prerpare recommendations on the future functioning of the Common European policy on security and defence: - deal with day to day Cfsp affairs.
(2) the creation of a Interim Military Body composed of representatives of Member States' Chiefs of Defence, and set up in order to provide military advice to the Political Committee, "including in its formation as Interim Political and Security Committee", and the Secretary General/High Representative. The military body will be assisted by military experts seconded from Member States to the Council's General Secretariat.
(3) the secondment of national experts in the military field to the Council's General Secretariat during an interim period. The military experts, "who will be part of the General Secretariat", will provide military expertise to the Interim Military Body and the Secretary General/High Representative "to support the Cfsp" and will assist the Interim Military Body. These experts will form the nucleus of the future of the EU's future military staff, says the decision.
May we also mention that Member States have or are in the process of appointing their representatives in these bodies and structures, and that: - the Political and Security Committee is to hold its first meeting on 1 March; - the Military Committee will meet for the first time on 7 March; - the military experts must draw up a working programme for 1 April (initially, it will be a question of a core of 6 to 8 people, who will develop to amount to some 150 people by the end of 2001, as some WEU roles are taken on board by the European Union.