Brussels, 29/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - During the IGC on Monday, the Luxembourg President of the WEO Assembly, Marcel Glesener, presented the President of the EU, Franco Frattini and the Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lydie Polfer with the contribution of the Assembly to the work of the IGC on security and defence 5UROPE 25 October p 6). According to an Assembly press statement, Mr Frattini said that EU Member States could reach an agreement on "constitutional aspects of security and defence", including "structured cooperation" but that it would be more difficult to agree on strategic aspects and practical areas of cooperation.
Mr Glesener pointed out that the WEO Assembly is keen that: any mutual EU defence clause does not constitute a step backwards in regard to commitments in Article 5 of the Brussels Treaty of 1954; such a commitment should be included in an "optional protocol that should be ratified by its signatories" and annexed to the constitutional treaty; a European inter-parliamentary forum consisting of national parliamentarians exercising parliamentary control on European intergovernmental cooperation in security and defence (national parliaments, stresses the Assembly, would continue t, "decide on defence budgets, which remain a national prerogative, on the deployment of national troops for EU missions and on the procurement of crucial military capabilities which will continue to be provided by Member States".