Extracts from the Declaration adopted
by the WEU Council of Ministers on 22 July 1997 and attached to
the Final Act of the Intergovernmental Conference concluded with
the signature of the Treaty of Amsterdam on 2 October 1997.
The Western European Union (WEU) Member States agreed
at Maastricht in 1991 on the need to develop a genuine European
Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) and to assume a greater European
responsibility for defence matters. In the light of the Treaty
of Amsterdam, they reaffirm the importance of continuing and strengthening
these efforts. WEU is an integral part of the development of the
European Union (EU) providing the Union with access to an operational
capability, notably in the context of the Petersberg tasks and
is an essential element of the development of the ESDI within
the Atlantic Alliance in accordance with the Paris Declaration
and with the decisions taken by NATO ministers in Berlin.
Today the WEU Council brings together all the Member
States of the European Union and all the European Members of the
Atlantic Alliance in accordance with their respective status.
The Council also brings together those States with the Central
and Eastern European States linked to the European Union by an
Association Agreement and that are applicants for accession to
both the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance. WEU is thus
establishing itself as a genuine framework for dialogue and cooperation
among Europeans on wider European security and defence issues.
* * *
In the "Declaration on the Role of the Western
European Union and its Relations with the European Union and with
the Atlantic Alliance" of 10 December 1991, WEU Member States
set as their objective "to build up WEU in stages as the
defence component of the European Union". They today reaffirm
this aim as developed by the Treaty of Amsterdam.
When the Union avails itself of WEU, WEU will elaborate
and implement decisions and actions of the EU which have defence
implications.
In elaborating and implementing decisions and actions
of the EU for which the Union avails itself of WEU, WEU will act
consistently with guidelines established by the European Council.
WEU supports the Union in framing the defence aspects
of the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy as set
out in Article J.7 of the Treaty on European Union.
WEU confirms that when the European Union avails
itself of WEU to elaborate and implement decisions of the Union
on the tasks referred to in Article J.7(2) of the Treaty on European
Union, all Member States of the Union shall be entitled to participate
fully in the tasks in question in accordance with Article J.7(3)
of the Treaty on European Union.
WEU will develop the role of the Observers in WEU
in line with provisions contained in Article J.7(3) and will adopt
the necessary practical arrangements to allow all Member States
of the EU contributing to the tasks undertaken by WEU at the request
of the EU to participate fully and on an equal footing in planning
and decision-taking in the WEU.
Consistent with the Protocol on Article J.7 of the
Treaty on European Union, WEU shall draw up, together with the
European Union, arrangements for enhanced cooperation between
them. In this regard, a range of measures, on some of which work
is already in hand in WEU, can be taken forward now, such as:
- arrangements for improving the coordination of
the consultation and decision-making processes of the respective
Organisations, in particular in crisis situations;
- holding of joint meetings of the relevant bodies
of the two Organisations;
- harmonisation as much as possible of the sequence
of the Presidencies of WEU and the EU, as well as the administrative
rules and practices of the two Organisations;
- close coordination of the work of the staff of
the Secretariat-General of the WEU and the General Secretariat
of the Council of the EU, including through the exchange and secondment
of personnel;
- arrangements to allow the relevant bodies of
the EU, including its Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit,
to draw on the resources of WEU's Planning Cell, Situation Centre
and Satellite Centre;
- cooperation in the field of armaments, as appropriate,
within the framework of the Western European Armaments Group (WEAG),
as the European forum for armaments cooperation, the EU and WEU
in the context of rationalisation of the European armaments market
and the establishment of a European Armaments Agency;
- practical arrangements for ensuring cooperation
with the European Commission reflecting its role in the CFSP as
defined in the revised Treaty on European Union;
- improved security arrangements with the European
Union.
The Atlantic Alliance continues to be the basis of
collective defence under the North Atlantic Treaty. It remains
the essential forum for consultation among Allies and the framework
in which they agree on policies bearing on their security and
defence commitments under the Washington Treaty. The Alliance
has embarked on a process of adaptation and reform so that it
can more effectively carry out the full range of its missions.
This process is aimed at strengthening and renewing the transatlantic
partnership, including building an ESDI within the Alliance.
WEU is an essential element of the development of
the European Security and Defence Identity within the Atlantic
Alliance and will accordingly continue its efforts to strengthen
institutional and practical cooperation with NATO.
In addition to its support for the common defence
enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and Article V
of the modified Brussels Treaty, WEU takes an active role in conflict
prevention and crisis management as provided for in the Petersberg
Declaration. In this context, WEU undertakes to perform its role
to the full, respecting the full transparency and complementarity
between the two Organisations.
WEU affirms that this identity will be grounded on
sound military principles and supported by appropriate military
planning and will permit the creation of militarily coherent and
effective forces capable of operating under the political control
and strategic direction of WEU.
To this end, WEU will develop its cooperation with
NATO, in particular in the following fields:
- Mechanisms for consultation between WEU and NATO
in the context of a crisis;
- WEU's active involvement in the NATO defence
planning process;
- Operational links between WEU and NATO for the
planning, preparation and conduct of operations using NATO assets
and capabilities under the political control and strategic direction
of WEU, including:
- military planning, conducted
by NATO in coordination with WEU, and exercises;
- a framework agreement on
the transfer, monitoring and return of NATO assets and capabilities;
- liaison between WEU and NATO in the context of European command arrangements.
This cooperation will continue to evolve, also taking
account of the adaptation of the Alliance.
WEU will develop its role as the European politico-military
body for crisis management, by using the assets and capabilities
made available by WEU nations on a national or multinational basis,
and having recourse, when appropriate, to NATO¹¹s assets
and capabilities under arrangements being worked out. In this
context, WEU will also support the UN and OSCE in their crisis
management tasks.
WEU will contribute, in the framework of Article
J.7 of the Treaty on European Union, to the progressive framing
of a common defence policy and carry forward its concrete implementation
through the further development of its own operational role.
To this end, WEU will take forward work in the following
fields:
- WEU has developed crisis management mechanisms
and procedures which will be updated as WEU gains experience through
exercises and operations. The implementation of Petersberg missions
calls for flexible modes of action geared to the diversity of
crisis situations and making optimum use of the available capabilities
including through recourse to a national headquarters, which might
be one provided by a framework nation, or to a multinational headquarters
answerable to WEU or to NATO assets and capabilities;
- WEU has already worked out Preliminary Conclusions
on the Formulation of a Common European Defence Policy which is
an initial contribution on the objectives, scope and means of
a common European defence policy.
WEU will continue this work on the basis in particular
of the Paris Declaration and taking account of the relevant elements
of the decisions of WEU and NATO summits and ministerial meetings
since Birmingham. It will focus on the following fields:
- definition of principles for the use of armed
forces of the WEU States for WEU Petersberg operations in pursuit
of common European security interests;
- organisation of operational means for Petersberg
tasks, such as generic and contingency planning and exercising,
preparation and interoperability of forces, including through
participation in the NATO defence planning process, as appropriate;
- strategic mobility on the basis of its current
work;
- defence intelligence, through its Planning Cell,
Situation Centre and Satellite Centre;
- WEU has adopted many measures to strengthen its
operational role (Planning Cell, Situation Centre, Satellite Centre).
The improvement of the functioning of the military components
at WEU Headquarters and the establishment, under the Council's
authority, of a military committee will represent a further enhancement
of structures which are important for the successful preparation
and conduct of WEU operations;
- With the aim of opening participation in all
its operations to Associate Members and Observer States, WEU will
also examine the necessary modalities to allow Associate Members
and Observer States to participate fully in accordance with their
status in all operations undertaken by WEU;
- WEU recalls that Associate Members take part
on the same basis as full members in operations to which they
contribute, as well as in relevant exercises and planning. WEU
will also examine the question of participation of the Observers
as fully as possible in accordance with their status in planning
and decision-taking within WEU in all operations to which they
contribute;
- WEU will, in consultation where appropriate with
the relevant bodies, examine the possibilities for maximum participation
in its activities by Associate Members and Observer States in
accordance with their status. It will address in particular activities
in the fields of armaments, space and military studies;
- WEU will examine how to strengthen the Associate
Partners' participation in an increasing number of activities.
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