Brussels, 12/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The current crisis has confirmed the need to accelerate the setting in place of a European Common Security and Defence Policy, noted Belgian Defence Minister André Flahaut after the informal meeting of European defence ministers, on Friday in Brussels. "We must be ready to take on our responsibilities if American redeployment were to create a security vacuum in the Balkans", he said, when asked about the United States' request to Europeans to be ready to make up for withdrawal of "certain specialised units" needed to combat terrorism. Speaking before the ministers, CFSP High Representative Javier Solana noted that the fight against terrorism "does not make Petersberg tasks less relevant", but that it could put "pressure on resources as some countries might want to develop additional capabilities concerning military and police responses to terrorism". In his view, the EU should possibly be ready to "take up more responsibilities in peace-keeping missions on shorter notice than previously envisaged", which means that "we must place additional emphasis on our preparations for operational readiness".
Mr Solana also stressed the need to improve information available to the EU for combating terrorism. He proposed strengthening the "capacity of the General Secretariat, and in particular the EU Situation Centre, to handle confidential information, thereby contributing to enhanced situation analysis and early warning".
In the framework of preparing the second "Capabilities Conference" which, on 19 and 20 November, will bring together European defence and foreign ministers, the chairman of the European Military Committee, General Hagglund presented a report that confirms shortcomings in the sector of airborne strategic transport, naval sector, in-flight refuelling, air surveillance, command and control structure, precision munitions and anti-air defence.
The Belgian Presidency and the Netherlands presented proposals for action plans to meet these shortcomings. André Flahaut confirmed that the Presidency intended coming up with results in November on: 1) identification of ongoing projects or those being envisaged; 2) methodology to meet the shortcomings; 3) adoption of a mandate for the experts of Member States who will work on the shortcomings. The aim is still to enable the Heads of State or Government to declare the European intervention force of 60,000 troops operational, at the Laeken Summit in December. Javier Solana stressed that the EU needs "a credible and permanent review mechanism" to improve capabilities beyond the time when European force will have to be fully operational, in 2003. In that context, he took note with interest of the suggestions concerning "multinational approaches and resource-sharing", and also considered that "we should make the best possible use of the contributions of candidate countries and NATO Allies".
The Ministers discussed the Belgian Presidency's priorities for CESDP (soldiers' health, information for the public and MPs and the White Paper on Defence). Spain confirmed that it will take up the torch by organising a conference with representatives of national and the European Parliament under its Presinecy and by continuing to inform the public. Ministers supported the Presidency's idea of getting the WEU's Security Research Instiute to draw up a comparaitve study of national white papers on defence, and also supported Mr Flahaut's desire to turn the informal Defence Council into a formal Defence Council, expressing doubts about whether the EU's Froeign Ministers would want to follow suit.