Brussels, 06/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The interim Military body foreshadowing the future European Military Committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday 7 March at the seat of the Council of the EU. According to the Council decision (see EUROPE of 25 February, p.4), the Member States are represented within the Interim Military Body by representatives from the respective Commanders in chief. At the moment most of the member States have decided to choose their military representative within NATO.
EUROPE believes that the participation of the European Commission in the work of the Military Committee was the object of difficult negotiations. In principle being a body of the Community Council, the presence of the Commission should be automatic; in fact the British delegation opposed it. The compromise reached consists of foreseeing a place for the Commission, but that it be only occupied on demand of the Member States (this will not be the case this Tuesday). It remains to be seen when this will be the case.
Let us recall that the Interim Security and Political committee (Cops) held the first working meeting on 3 March (see EUROPE of 1 March, p.4 and of 3 March, p.5).