Extracts from WEU Council of Ministers'
Petersberg Declaration
Bonn, 19 June 1992
* * *
Ministers stressed the fundamental importance of
the Treaty on European Union and they looked forward to the further
elaboration of the common foreign and security policy at the Lisbon
European Council. They discussed the progress made in developing
the role of WEU as the defence component of the European Union
and as the means to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic
Alliance in accordance with the Declaration adopted by WEU member
States at the Maastricht European Council in December 1991.
Ministers reaffirmed the importance for WEU to develop
close working relations with the European Union and Atlantic Alliance
in accordance with the Maastricht Declaration of WEU. They adopted
a report on the practical measures necessary for WEU to develop
these relations. They asked the Permanent Council to propose to
the Council of the Twelve and to the North Atlantic Council concrete
measures aimed at facilitating the development of close cooperation
between the respective Secretariats.
* * *
WEU Ministers welcomed the decision of Eurogroup
Defence Ministers at their meeting in Brussels on 25 May 1992
to consider the possibility, among other options, and if the necessary
preconditions are met, of transferring to WEU some or all of Eurogroup's
present functions for which there is still a need.
* * *
On strengthening the WEU's operational role—
In accordance with the decision contained in the
Declaration of the member States of WEU at Maastricht on 10 December
1991 to develop WEU as the defence component of the European Union
and as the means to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic
Alliance, WEU member States have been examining and defining appropriate
missions, structures and means covering, in particular, a WEU
planning cell and military units answerable to WEU, in order to
strengthen WEU's operational role.
WEU member States declare that they are prepared
to make available military units from the whole spectrum of their
conventional armed forces for military tasks conducted under the
authority of WEU.
Decisions to use military units answerable to WEU
will be taken by the WEU Council in accordance with the provisions
of the UN Charter. Participation in specific operations will remain
a sovereign decision of member States in accordance with national
constitutions.
Apart from contributing to the common defence in
accordance with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and Article
V of the modified Brussels Treaty respectively, military units
of WEU member States, acting under the authority of WEU, could
be employed for:
- humanitarian and rescue tasks;
- peacekeeping tasks;
- tasks of combat forces in crisis management,
including peacemaking.
The planning and execution of these tasks will be
fully compatible with the military dispositions necessary to ensure
the collective defence of all Allies.
Military units will be drawn from the forces of WEU
member States, including forces with NATO missions - in this case
after consultation with NATO - and will be organized on a multinational
and multi-service basis.
All WEU member States will soon designate which of
their military units and headquarters they would be willing to
make available to WEU for its various possible tasks. Where multinational
formations drawn from the forces of WEU nations already exist
or are planned, these units could be made available for use under
the authority of WEU, with agreement of all participating nations.
WEU member States intend to develop and exercise
the appropriate capabilities to enable the deployment of WEU military
units by land, sea or air to accomplish these tasks.
* * *
In their Maastricht Declaration of 10 December 1991,
the member States of WEU proposed that States which are members
of the European Union be invited to accede to WEU on conditions
to be agreed in accordance with Article XI of the modified Brussels
Treaty, or to become observers if they so wished. Simultaneously,
other European member States of NATO were invited to become associate
members of WEU in a way which would give them a possibility of
participating fully in the activities of WEU.
In accordance with Part III of the Petersberg Declaration,
Ministers agreed that the following points should be made in extending
the invitation to the countries interested in becoming members,
observers or associate members:
Members:
Member States of the European Union which have accepted
the invitation to accede to WEU undertake
- to respect, in accordance with the principles
and values adhered to by all WEU member States, the Brussels Treaty
of 1948, modified on 23 October 1954, its Protocols and associated
texts, and the agreements concluded among the member States pursuant
to the Treaty,
- to note with approval the agreements, decisions
and rules adopted in conformity with the Treaty, and the Declarations
starting with the Rome Declaration of 27 October 1984,
- to develop WEU as the defence component of the
European Union and as the means to strengthen the European pillar
of the Atlantic Alliance in keeping with the obligation entered
into on 10 December 1991 in the Declaration on the role of WEU
and its relations with the European Union and with the Atlantic
Alliance attached to the Treaty on European Union, and
- to accept in full the substance of Part III of
the Petersberg Declaration which will form part of the Protocol
of Accession.
Observers:
Member States of the European Union, which have accepted
the invitation to become observers,
- may, although not being a party to the MBT, attend
the meetings of the WEU Council without prejudice to the provisions
laid down in Article VIII of the modified Brussels Treaty; at
the request of a majority of the member States, or of half of
the member States including the Presidency, presence at Council
meetings may be restricted to full members;
- may be invited to meetings of working groups;
- may be invited, on request, to speak;
- will have the same rights and responsibilities
as the full members for functions transferred to WEU from other
fora and institutions to which they already belong.
Associate members:
Other European member States of the Atlantic Alliance
which have accepted the invitation to become associate members
of WEU, although not being parties to the modified Brussels Treaty,
may participate fully in the meetings of the WEU Council - without
prejudice to the provisions laid down in Article VIII of the modified
Brussels Treaty - of its working groups and of the subsidiary
bodies, subject to the following provisions:
- at the request of a majority of the member States,
or of half of the member States including the Presidency, participation
may be restricted to full members;
- they will be able to be associated to the Planning
Cell through a permanent liaison arrangement;
- they will have the same rights and responsibilities
as the full members for functions transferred to WEU from other
fora and institutions to which they already belong;
- they will have the right to speak but may not
block a decision that is the subject of consensus among the member
States;
- they may associate themselves with the decisions
taken by member States; they will be able to participate in their
implementation unless a majority of the member States, or half
of the member States including the Presidency, decide otherwise;
- they will take part on the same basis as full
members in WEU military operations to which they commit forces;
- they will accept in full the substance of Section
A of Part III of the Petersberg Declaration which will form part
of the association document;
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