Brussels, 17/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council will be addressing the issue of European Security and Defence Policy in the presence of the Defence Ministers, on Monday after lunch. Portuguese Foreign Minister and President-in-Office of the Council Jaime Gama, along with Secretary General/High Representative Javier Solana, will present the draft interim report on "Strengthening the European Security and Defence Policy", that will be submitted to the Heads of State and Government at the extraordinary European Council in Lisbon. This document recalls the establishment, on 1 March, of three interim bodies identified at the Helsinki Summit and reviews the state of play of work in progress and the prospects taking shape. Ministers will also review the situation concerning: a) the setting into place of the EU's future military capacities (headline goals); b) the establishment of a Civil Disaster Management Committee, a decision that could be taken at the European Council in Santa Maria da Feira, on 19 and 20 June.
Next Monday, Ministers are expected to agree on a document defining at least the outlines of the planning and conduct of future EU operations, setting out procedures (decision-making, chain of command, forces to be mobilised, etc.) for both operations for which the EU would make use of NATO assets and capabilities and those without the use of Atlantic Alliance means. Opinions still differ on politically sensitive questions, such as the stage at which consultations with NATO should take place (should the EU decide for itself if it is advisable to use NATO's capabilities or should it consult NATO first?) and the role of the European Commission.