Paris, 08/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - Opening a high level seminar on EU/NATO relations, in Paris on Monday 7 July, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called for the gap between the two organisations to be narrowed. He suggested setting up a “high level group” around the European Union's High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, and Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Without bringing into question the objective adopted in 1999 (a 60,000 strong force deployable in 60 days for one year), Bernard Kouchner called for ESDP to be reactivated. He would like the EU to be able to conduct “at the same time”: - two major military operations for stabilisation and reconstruction; - two rapid reaction operations; - an emergency evacuation operation for European nationals; - a surveillance or maritime /air prohibition mission; - a civil-military humanitarian relief mission lasting 90 days; - and about ten civil missions of the police/justice kind. He also called for the creation of a General Affairs Council formation at defence minister level.
In response to the French minister, Javier Solana said he was in favour of creating a high level group as suggested by the French Presidency. “Our action must converge for greater effectiveness”, the high representative said. Calling for flexibility, he recalled the importance of the civil-military approach for the whole spectrum of ESDP missions.
The NATO secretary general also wanted to close the gap between the EU and the Atlantic Alliance. “The world is moving fast and we do not have much time to define our relations”, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said. He called for more mutual consultation to be established between the two organisations, including during review of EU and NATO strategies. “We must stop wasting energy and money”, he added, recommending cooperation especially in the field of troop transport. “I am in favour of a strong European Union, including in defence terms. It is in NATO's interest”, the NATO secretary general went on to say.
Both Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Javier Solana considered that the strategic partnership agreement between the EU and NATO, set in place in 1994, was no longer sufficient. “Berlin + has sometimes become a break rather than accelerator”, the Alliance secretary general explained, recommending the setting in place of “additional possibilities” to make up for the agreement, once it proves to be inappropriate for the situations encountered by the two organisations. Finally, the meeting was marked by the comments of the Atlantic Alliance secretary general on Turkey's participation to the military effort in Europe. “We must pursue our effort so that the European countries that are not members of the EU are involved in NATO action”, he said. And inversely, NATO members that are not members of the EU must, Jaap Hoop Scheffer stresses, be involved in the strengthened ESDP. “Turkey must take part in the European Defence Agency”, he said, adding that, from this point of view, “the current situation is not satisfactory”.
One sign of rapprochement with NATO will be when the French secretary of state for European affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, goes, on 16 July, to present the defence-related priorities of the French Presidency to the North Atlantic Council, of which the 27 NATO countries are part, including 21 EU members. (L.B.S./transl.jl)