Brussels / Otzenhausen, 22/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The presidents and vice-presidents of EuroDefense - an independent non-governmental initiative with associations in nine European Union countries, which endeavours to support the building of a strong European Security and Defence Policy in the context of the Atlantic Alliance - adopted a number of recommendations for the European Convention during a conference held from 19 to 21 April in Otzenhausen, in Germany.
EuroDefense above all considers that:
(1) The EU needs a "strategic concept" which sets out the aims and the operational requirements of future EU operations. Three aspects have to be addressed: - it must be clear that the Petersburg missions also comprise peace-enforcing operations; - the EU must be able to carry out such measures with or without recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, but larger operations such as collective defence, should only be conducted within the framework and with the support of NATO; - and the fight against international terrorism requires the rapid setting in place of close cooperation between the armed military and intelligence authorities (as internal and external security are more and more closely linked).
(2) The close interaction of foreign and defence policy must be visible, mainly through the setting in place of a Council of Defence Ministers.
(3) Europe needs a European Armaments Agency and a European Intelligence Agency.
(4) The European Parliament needs a Defence Committee.
We recall that EuroDefense President is Austrian national Erich Hochleitner and that its members include Senator Willem van Eekelen, former Dutch Defence Minister; former Luxembourg Prime Minister and former Commission President Jacques Santer (who are both Members of the Convention); French national Emile Blanc; and former Italian Permanent Representative with the EU Piero Calamia.