Brussels, 30/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Javier Solana, the European Union High Representative for CFSP welcomed, in a press statement, the good start to the first joint Union military exercise, the CME 02 that took place on 22-28 May (see EUROPE page 7).
"This first European Union exercise…largely achieved its objectives", declared Javier Solana. "The exercise demonstrated that the Union has acquired a body of procedures and concepts that will enable it to confront the demands involved in crisis management and in integrating civil and military aspects", he added. Welcoming the Union capability plan and the co-ordination between the different actors involved, the High Representative confirmed the, "good level of preparations of its capability for Union crisis management" and that, "the operational character of the European security and defence policy was improving all the time". Javier Solana also stressed that the Union had also demonstrated that it has acquired, "the capability for adequate strategic planning". He also pointed out that ESDP bodies had accomplished their missions very well and the Member Sates involved had contributed substantially to the successful completion of the work. The High Representative also noted that beyond the formal procedures, all the actors had demonstrated that they were aware of the demands involved in the rapid decision procedures adapted to effective crisis management. He pointed out that the exercise had been open to several international organisations, which are important partners of the Union, the UN, NATO and the OSCE. Mr Solana emphasised the importance of the assessment exercise that would now begin and which would allow lessons to be learned that would improve Union crisis management procedures.