Brussels, 17/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - Whereas the Fifteen have not yet clarified ways of financing their future operations in the context of the common security and defence policy, a British research institute has virulently attacked the lack of consistency in progress made so far. If they want their common defence policy to be credible, Europeans must begin to spend real money, said the director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, John Chiman, on Wednesday. "It is important that Europeans do not replace failures to produce new capacities with successes in developing new institutions to coordinate military power that does not exist", he declared, presenting the IISS' annual report on global defence and security. According to the IISS, "claims by NATO Secretary General George Robertson that most European defence budgets are no longer being cut, are not yet supported by figures". "European defence spending in real terms continues to fall at a rate of 5% a year", John Chipman goes on. With a level of some $147.6 billion, the accumulated spending by the Fifteen on defence does not exceed 60% of that of the United States.
At the latest joint Council of European Defence and Foreign Ministers, in Brussels on Monday, the Swedish Presidency announced its intention of presenting a paper on the funding of the common parts of crisis management operations (individual equipment and the supply of material being financed by the States). The High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, suggested at the Council that certain strategic capabilities be developed collectively, so as to allow for savings. Several States could focus their efforts on the same systems, and collective efforts could be extended to maintenance, logistics and training, he proposed. So as to avoid unnecessary duplications, he also considered that the EU should take full advantage of arrangements for the use of NATO's collective assets, and concentrate of NATO's deficient aspects, "thereby contributing to strengthening the Alliance's capabilities".