INCORPORATION INTO THE EU OF SOME WEU
FUNCTIONS
(21723)
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Unofficial text of draft Council Conclusions on the incorporation into the European Union of certain functions of the Western European Union.
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| Legal base:
| — |
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| Department: |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration:
| Minister's letter and EM of 30 October 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| None |
| To be discussed in Council:
| 10 November 2000 |
| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared |
Introduction
42.1 The Minister of State at the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office (Mr Keith Vaz) wrote on 30 October to
inform us in advance of Council Conclusions which he expected
would be adopted before the Western European Union (WEU) Ministerial
meeting at Marseilles on 13 November. The only text available
at the time he wrote was an avis[121]
in which the EU Interim Political and Security Committee[122]
was expected to present its recommendations to COREPER. The Department
has since made available an unofficial text of the draft Conclusions,
dated 8 November. The recommendations are for political agreement
in principle.
The recommendations and the Government's view
42.2 The recommendations concern the incorporation
into the EU of the functions performed by the WEU Institute for
Security Studies (ISS), WEU Satellite Centre (SatCen), WEU Multinational
Advisory Police Element in Albania (MAPE) and the WEU's Transatlantic
Forum (TF).
42.3 In an accompanying Explanatory Memorandum,
the Minister provides some background and further information,
as follows:
"The Cologne European
Council aspired by the end of 2000 to create within the EU the
operational capacity to carry out the Petersberg tasks for crisis
management and conflict prevention. It referred to the EU's need
for a capacity for analysis of situations, sources of intelligence,
and a capability for relevant strategic planning. This might require
inter alia resources such as a Satellite Centre and an
Institute for Security Studies. There has been extensive informal
discussion of the options for transfer from the WEU to the EU.
The following paragraphs provide general orientation on the stage
reached in those discussions.
"The Institute for Security Studies would
serve as a focus point for European (EU and non-EU) academics
and think tanks dealing with security studies. It would also provide
longer-term strategic thinking to inform the Council in its policy-making.
The Government supports this objective, but has argued that an
EU ISS must represent better value for money than the WEU ISS
has so far. We have secured agreement to carrying out cost-benefit
analyses of the possibility of moving the Institute from Paris
to Brussels and of means to trim support costs. We have also secured
agreement to improve the usefulness of the ISS product to the
Council by enhancing the Institute's links to the Council Secretariat.
"The Satellite Centre would offer the
EU analysis of commercial and national satellite and aerial imagery.
This would be one source of information to support the EU in both
the civilian and military aspects of pre-crisis and crisis management.
As well as serving the Council, the Government expects the SatCen
to undertake tasking for EU nations, third countries, international
organisations and private concerns, although the EU would have
priority in times of crisis. The Government has argued that the
SatCen must operate more cost-effectively and has introduced the
idea of charging for non-collective tasking. An EU SatCen would
also offer training, including to third-country nationals.
"The Albanian Government has requested that
the Multinational Advisory Police Element continue. The
UK contributes 20 serving and retired officers to provide training
to various levels of the Albanian police force. The MAPE operation
will be an example of the type of civilian crisis management the
EU can offer as a counterpart to military interventions.
"The WEU Transatlantic Forum performs
a useful outreach function as it brings together policy-makers
and opinion formers from Europe and the US together twice a year
to discuss security issues of mutual interest. For the EU to assume
responsibility for these tasks would add depth and value to its
political dialogue with the United States."
42.4 The recommendations are likely, the
Minister says, to lead to formal legislative proposals and decisions
later this year, which will be submitted for scrutiny.
Conclusion
42.5 It is helpful of the Minister to
advise us at this stage of these recommendations. We understand
that the UK makes little or no use of the WEU Satellite Centre
and ask the Minister to inform us in due course of the outcome
of the Government's suggestion that charges should be made for
tasking which is not collective.
42.6 Meanwhile, we clear the document.
121 A formal opinion. Back
122 (20931)
- ; see HC 23-viii (1999-2000), paragraph 18 (9 February 2000). Back
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