APPENDIX 1
European Community document No 20699
PRESIDENCY PROGRESS REPORT TO THE HELSINKI
EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON STRENGTHENING OF THE COMMON EUROPEAN POLICY
ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE: FIRST MEASURES ON THE MILITARY INSTRUMENTS
OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND GUIDANCE FOR FURTHER WORK
INTRODUCTION
1. Recalling the guiding principles agreed at
Cologne, the European Union should be able to assume its responsibilities
for the full range of conflict prevention and crisis management
tasks defined in the EU Treaty, the Petersberg tasks.
2. The European Union should have the autonomous
capacity to decide to launch and then to conduct EU-led military
operations in response to international crises, in support of
the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CPSP), without prejudice
to actions by NATO. The action by the Union will be conducted
in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter
and the principles and objectives of the OSCE Charter for European
Security.
3. For this purpose, the following new measures
have been agreed:
4. First, a common European headline goal
will be adopted for readily deployable military capabilities,
to be achieved through co-ordinated national and multinational
efforts, for carrying out the full range of Petersberg tasks.
5. Second, new political military bodies
will be established within the Council to enable the Union to
take decisions on EU-led Petersberg operations and to ensure the
necessary political control and strategic direction of such operations.
6. Third, principles for co-operation with
non-EU European NATO members and other European partners in EU-led
military crisis management will be agreed, without prejudice to
the Union's decision-making autonomy.
7. Fourth, further steps will be taken to
ensure mutual consultation, co-operation and transparency between
the EU and NATO on the development of the Union's capability for
military crisis management and on the appropriate military response
to a crisis.
8. Efforts to carry out Petersberg tasks
will improve Member States' national and multinational military
capabilities, which will at the same time, as appropriate, strengthen
the capabilities of NATO and enhance the effectiveness of the
Partnership for Peace (PfP) in promoting European security.
MILITARY CAPABILITIES
FOR PETERSBERG
TASKS
9. The Member States committed themselves
at Cologne to develop more effective European military capabilities
from the basis of the existing national, bi-national and multinational
capabilities, and required in particular to reinforce their capabilities
in the fields of intelligence, strategic transport, and command
and control.
10. The Member States have decided without
unnecessary duplication to enhance and strengthen their military
capabilities for Petersberg tasks to allow the Union to undertake
operations in support of the CFSP. Particular attention will be
devoted to deployability, sustainability, interoperability, flexibility
and mobility, taking account of the results of the WEU audit of
assets and capabilities for European-led crisis management missions.
The enhancement of the Union's crisis management capabilities
will contribute to, benefit from, and therefore be complementary
with the work carried out under the NATO Defence Capabilities
Initiative (DCI) and, as appropriate, within the Planning and
Review Process (PARP) of the PfP.
11. An EU-led military crisis management
operation will be carried out by national and multinational European
forces pre-identified by the Member States who may commit the
same forces for NATO-led operations and other missions as well.
For the conduct of EU-led operations, the Union may use NATO assets
and capabilities, with NATO agreement or national and multinational
European means without recourse to NATO assets and capabilities.
12. The Member States have decided to define
a headline goal established in the light of crisis management
experience gained in recent years and directly related to the
full range of Petersberg tasks.
13. By the end of 2002, the Union should
be able to bring together, from pre-identified national and multinational
assets, and rapidly to deploy and then to sustain forces up to
50,000 capable of the full range of Petersberg tasks, with requisite
intelligence, command and control, logistics and other support
services, and appropriate air and naval elements. The Member States
should be able to deploy in full at this level within 60 days
and sustain such a deployment with adequate replacements for up
to two years.
14. The General Affairs Council (GAC) reinforced
by the Defence Ministers will elaborate the headline goal and
the relevant performance criteria for national contributions.
Reflecting their political will and commitment, the Member States
will set national objectives for their forces available for Petersberg
tasks matching the performance criteria. A common approach will
be developed within the Council through which progress towards
the headline goal can be evaluated including a regular review
of progress made in national contributions.
15. Encouraging progress has been made towards
the restructuring of European defence industries, which constitutes
an important step forward and contributes to strengthening the
European industrial and technological basis. Such developments
call for increased efforts to seek further progress in the harmonisation
of military requirements and the planning and procurement of arms
between the Member States.
DECISION-MAKING
16. The Council decides upon policy relevant
to Union involvement in all phases and aspects of crisis management
including decisions to carry out Petersberg tasks in accordance
with Article 23 of the EU Treaty. Taken within the single institutional
framework, decisions will ensure inter-pillar coherence in conformity
with Article 3 of the EU Treaty.
17. All Member States are entitled to participate
fully and on an equal footing in all the decisions and activities
related to EU-led operations in the Council and relevant Council
bodies, subject to the provisions below (para 35). The commitment
of national assets by Member States to such operations will be
based on their sovereign decision.
18. The Council will ensure the involvement
of Defence Ministers on the common security and defence policy.
When the GAC discusses matters related to the common European
security and defence policy (CESDP) Defence Ministers as appropriate
will participate to provide guidance on defence matters. The Council
may invite Defence Ministers to meet when particular defence topics
are to be discussed.
19. The following new permanent political
and military bodies will be established within the Council:
20. A standing Political and Security Committee
(PSC) in Brussels will be composed of senior level representatives.
The PSC will deal with all aspects of the CFSP including the common
European security and defence policy in accordance with the provisions
of the EU Treaty and without prejudice to Community competences
in economic, humanitarian and other fields and respecting the
EU Treaty (Article 3) and the responsibilities of COREPER under
the EC Treaty (Article 207). In the case of military crisis management
operation, the PSC may be authorised by the Council to exercise
the day-to-day political control and strategic direction of the
operation.
21. The Military Committee (MC) will be
composed of the Chiefs of Defence of the EU Member States, represented
by their military delegates. The MC will meet at the level of
the Chiefs of Defence as and when necessary. Acting under the
political guidance of the Council, this committee will provide
for consultation and co-operation between the Member States and
give military advice and make recommendations through the PSC,
and normally through COREPER, to the Council as well as provide
military direction to the Military Staff.
22. The Military Staff (MS) within the Council
Secretariat will provide military expertise and support to the
CEDSP, including the conduct of EU-led military crisis management
operations. Acting in accordance with the political guidance of
the Council and under the military direction of the Military Committee,
the Military Staff will perform early warning, situation assessment
and strategic planning for Petersberg tasks including identification
of European national and multinational forces.
23. As an interim measure, the following
bodies will be set up within the Council as of the beginning of
the year 2000.
24. In accordance with the Treaty provisions
with regard to COREPER and the Political Committee (POCO), representatives
of Member States will compose an interim political and security
committee, a standing body in Brussels. This committee is tasked
to take forward the work on the CESDP by making recommendations
through the POCO and COREPER and deal with CFSP affairs on the
day-to-day basis in close contact with the Secretary-General/High
Representative.
25. An interim committee of military representatives
of Member States is established to give military advice as needed
to the interim political and security committee.
26. Military experts will be seconded from
the Member States to the Council Secretariat in order to assist
in the work on the CESDP. These military experts will be transferred
in time into the Military Staff.
27. The Secretary General/High Representative
(HR), in assisting the Council, has a key contribution to make
to the efficiency and consistency of the CFSP and the development
of the common security and defence policy. In conformity with
the EU Treaty, the SG/HR will assess the present policy options
for the Council and contribute to implementation of policy decisions.
28. In the interim period, the High Representative
in his capacity as Secretary General of the WEU should make full
use of the WEU assets for the purpose of advising the Council
on tasks and missions under Article 17 of the EU Treaty.
CONSULTATION AND
CO-OPERATION
WITH PARTNERS
AND WITH
NATO
29. The Union will ensure the necessary
dialogue, consultation and co-operation with NATO and its non-EU
members, EU associated countries as well as other prospective
partners in EU-led crisis management, with full respect for the
decision-making autonomy of the EU and the single institutional
framework of the Union.
30. With European NATO members who are not
members of the EU and other partners who are candidates for membership
of the EU, permanent structures will be established for dialogue
and information on issues related to security and defence and
in particular crisis management. These structures will serve for
consultation in the event of a crisis.
31. Upon a decision by the Council to launch
an operation, the non-EU European NATO members will be invited
to participate if they so wish, in the event of an operation requiring
recourse to NATO assets and capabilities. They will be involved
in shaping the decision on such EU-led operations from an early
phase (within the structures referred to in para 30). They may
also be invited to take part in operations where the EU does not
use NATO assets. Other EU associates may also be invited by the
Council to take part in EU-led operations if they so wish, once
the Council has decided to launch such an operation with or without
recourse to NATO assets and capabilities.
32. Russia, Ukraine and other European states
will also be engaged with the Union in the existing institutional
frameworks for co-operation and they may be invited to take part
in EU-led operations. The Union welcomes the interest indicated
by Canada to contribute to European crisis management.
33. All the states that have confirmed their
participation in an EU-led operation with forces or other significant
resources will have the same rights and obligations as the EU
Member States in the day-to-day conduct of such an operation.
34. In the case of an EU-led operation,
an ad hoc committee of contributors at the PSC level is set up
for the daily political control and strategic direction of that
operation. All EU Member States have a right to attend the ad
hoc committee, whether or not they are participating in the operation,
while only contributing states will take part in the day-to-day
conduct of that operation. Decisions among the contributors will
be taken without prejudice to decisions by the Council and they
cannot block a decision by the Council.
35. The decision to end an operation will
be taken by the Council after appropriate consultation with the
other participating states.
36. Effective mutual consultation, co-operation
and transparency between the EU and NATO will be ensured in the
development of the CESDP. Initially relations will be developed
on an informal basis, through personal contacts between the SG/High
Representative for CFSP and the Secretary General of NATO.
37. In due course, a politico-military framework
arrangement should be concluded between Union and NATO for the
purpose of co-operation in crisis management operations as set
out in Washington and at Cologne.
FOLLOW-UP
FOR THE
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENCY
38. The Portuguese Presidency is invited,
together with the High Representative, to carry forward the work
within the General Affairs Council on strengthening the common
European security and defence policy and report to the Oporto
European Council on the progress made, including:
39. recommendations on the institutional
development of the new permanent political and military bodies
related to the CESDP within the EU together with an indication
of any Treaty changes which may be necessary (notably with regard
to paras 20, 21 and 22);
40. proposals on appropriate implementation
arrangements that will allow the non-EU European NATO members
and candidate countries to contribute to EU military crisis management;
41. recommendations on developing EU-NATO
relations and proposals on a set of guiding principles for consultation
with NATO.
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