Brussels, 14/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Defence Ministers reached an agreement on the exercise programme that will allow to test and validate by 2002, during two exercises, the structures and procedures of the European crisis management mechanisms. These exercises will take place at political and chief of staff level without involving troupes, recalled the Swedish defence Minister, Bjorn von Sydow, following the informal Defence Ministers Council, before their joint meeting with the General Affairs Council. Working groups will gather again this year to prepare these exercises, he added. The exercise programme foresees joint exercises with NATO in 2003, as soon as a formal agreement has been concluded.
For informal council noted that the EU will already be ready before the end of the year to carry out crisis management missions on a case by case basis, though a part of the military capabilities announced by the Member States last November, is already pledged for missions in the Balkans, underlined Bjorn von Sydow.
The Ministers also marked their assent for the work agenda before the second EU military pledge conference, which will take place before the Laeken Summit. This agenda should be formalised during the Gothenburg Summit in June. The Swedish Minister indicated the a report, available within a few days, will detail the failings in terms of capabilities, both in the areas already known of transport, telecommunications, logistics, "intelligence", and in other sectors identified during the capability pledge conference last November.
Bjorn von Sydow hoped that the Presidency could present a document on the financing of operations during the Gothenburg Summit, notably on the basis of discussions that took place this Monday. Finally the Swedish Minister recalled that the permanent military structures would move on Friday into their permanent offices, Cortenberg Avenue in Brussels. The permanent headquarters will be established in the rush.