Brussels, 07/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - Foreign Ministers Lamberto Dini (Italy), Louis Michel (Belgium), Lydie Polfer (Luxembourg) and Jozias van Aartsen (Netherlands) stressed the great importance that their governments attach to the development of European Security and Defence Policy. They affirmed in a letter to Hubert Védrine, President of the Intergovernmental Conference for negotiating EU institutional reform, that the progress accomplished and the "Union's ambition" in this field "deserve a basis in the Treaty". Italy and the Benelux countries therefore presented to the IGC proposals for adjusting Articles 17 and 25 of the Treaty, specifying that this adjustment, which was operated as lightly as possible, meets a dual objective: - political, so that the treaty reflects the significant developments that have come about since the Cologne summit in the field of ESDP; - operational, in order to set in place a decision-making process allowing the Union to act with the effectiveness required in the field of ESDP. Thus:
- do away with the passages referring to relations between the European Union and the Western European Union. Our readers will know that the latter will continue to exist as a residual organisation, essentially as a guardian of Article V on the guarantee of mutual assistance, with its parliamentary assembly and the Western European Armaments Group (while the Satellite Centre and the WEU Security Studies Institute will be transferred next year to come under EU responsibility);
- introduce a new paragraph specifying, on the subject of the Petersberg missions set out in this article (humanitarian and rescue tasks, peace-keeping tasks and combat forces in crisis management, including peace-restoring missions), in point 2: "in order to fully assume those tasks, the Union develops appropriate capabilities and instruments in cooperation, where appropriate, with NATO";
2. "The Committee, meeting as standing Political and Security Committee, shall deal with all aspects of the CFSP and exercise, under the responsibility of the Council, the political control and strategic direction of crisis management operations".
3. "For the purpose of a crisis management operation this Committee may be authorised to take any decision concerning the political control and strategic direction of the operation. The said authorisation, subject to rules and conditions as established by the Council, is granted by the Council in the context of the decision, to be adopted according to Article 23, of engaging an EU-led crisis management operation and remains in force until the Council decides to end the operation, unless otherwise decided".
4. "In assuming its tasks, the Committee is assisted by a Military Committee, composed of the Chiefs of Defence of Member States or their representatives, and a Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management".
(Article 23 specifies above all that decisions in this field are taken unanimously, but that abstentions do not prevent the adoption of these decisions. Furthermore, any member of the Council who abstains is not compelled to apply the decision, but agrees that this commits the Union and, in a spirit of mutual solidarity, abstains from all action "likely to conflict with the Union's action").
We note that this proposal is the second presented by Italy to the IGC with other Member States, after that submitted with Germany on enhanced cooperation.