Brussels, 18/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - In its conclusions, the European Council urges the future Presidency of the EU (the Netherlands), the EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, and the European Commission to continue working to establish the European Security Strategy in four areas, ensuring effective multilateralism focussed on the United Nations, combatting terrorism, developing a strategy for the Middle East and an overall policy for Bosnia Herzegovina. It also wants work to continue on planning the EU's future mission to Bosnia.
The European Council endorsed a report by the Irish Presidency on conflict prevention and urged the future Presidency to make the EU more active in this connection. It welcomed the adoption of EU guidelines on promoting and respecting human rights and the adoption of an implementation strategy for the EU guidelines on children in armed conflict. The Summit reaffirmed its desire to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in a special declaration (see other article).
The European Council also looked at recent developments in the European Defence Policy and approved the EU's new objectives for military capacity by 2010 (the Headline Goal 2010, see EUROPE of 18 May, p.6) and common action on the future European Arms Agency (see EUROPE of 16 June, p.7).
The European Council deplored the lack of progress in achieving the Millennium Targets for Africa and reaffirmed the EU's desire to step up efforts to meet the commitments made in Monterrey, particularly to seek innovative sources of finance. It also expressed concern at the damage HIV/AIDS is still wreaking in the world's poorest countries and called for the EU and regional bodies to make considerable effort to follow up on the 23/24 February Dublin Ministerial Conference on HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia.