Paris, 30/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The WEU Institute of Security Studies presided by Nicole Gnesotto recently published, in its series Cahiers de Chaillot, the brochure entitled "From Saint Malo to Nice: the founding texts of European defence". Collected together by Maartje Rutten, these texts are based on Tony Blair's press conference at the informal EU summit in Pörtschach, in October 1998 (see EUROPE of 26/27 October, pages 3 to 8) and go up to the report by Javier Solana for the European Council of Nice, in December 2000. They are also based on the final communiqué of the North Atlantic Council meeting also held in December 2000.
In the preface, Nicole Gnesotto, who introduces this very useful reference work, stresses that, if one compares the texts developed during the part two years, "it is clear that the dynamic of convergence between European countries has proved extremely powerful, and that Europeans are united by something that is far greater today than that which divides them".
(Western European Union Institute of Security Studies, 43 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75775 Paris Cedex 16. Tel: 53 67 22 00. E-mail: ies-ueo@iss-weu.com Internet: http://www.weu.int/institute ).