Brussels, 27/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission on Tuesday adopted Philippe Morillon's report (UDF, France) on the new European architecture of security and defence (33 in favour, 15 against, no abstentions), which aims to strengthen the EU's military capabilities and make it a "credible player on the world stage".
The MEPs welcomed the EU's intention to have a 5000-strong force by 2004, on permanent alert for humanitarian and rescue operations, and able to conduct operations autonomously by 2009. The MEPs proposed that joint costs of military operations, conducted under CFSP, should be covered by the Community budget, which implies modification of article 28 of the Treaty. The MEPs support the EU taking over from NATO military forces in FYROM on 31 March, and the Union's intention to take over SFOR's command in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2004. However, they would like to be kept informed on discussions at the General Affairs Council on the EU's remit, capability and access to NATO infrastructure, and the financial impact of these operations. Furthermore, the Commission supports strengthening the role of the EU High Representative for CFSP, who is to have the right of initiative in crisis management matters. The MEPs also welcomed the idea of creating a European Agency for Arms and Research. EUROPE will come back to the report in detail.