12. PROGRESS REPORT ON EUROPEAN SECURITY
AND DEFENCE POLICY
(24254)
15428/1/02
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ESDP Presidency Report. |
| Legal base: | —
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| Document originated: | 10 December 2002
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| Deposited in Parliament: | 6 February 2003
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| Department: | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration: | Minister's letter and EM of 6 February
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| Previous Committee Report: | None
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| Discussed in Council: | 12-13 December 2002 Copenhagen European Council
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| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
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| Committee's decision: | Cleared
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12.1 This progress report on the European Security and
Defence Policy (ESDP) was submitted by the Greek Presidency because
of Denmark's opt-out on EU matters with defence implications.
The Minister for Europe, Mr Denis MacShane, says that is was amended
slightly in the light of the Council's Conclusions. He describes
it as uncontroversial, highlighting specific progress in some
areas and the need for further work in others. He has summarised
the main points of the report as:
EU-led operations
"Progress has been made in the following areas:
- The EU was ready to launch its first civilian crisis management
operation on 1 January 2003 by taking over from the UN-led police
operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and
- the EU has continued its preparatory work for a take over
of the NATO operation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The fight against Terrorism
"— Progress was made with work carried out on the
development of a common evaluation of terrorist threat; refinement
of the impact of terrorist threat on the development of military
capabilities; utilisation of military capabilities to help protect
civil populations against the effect of terrorist attack.
The Development of EU Capabilities
Military
"On the military side of ESDP, the report notes progress
made in the following areas:
- Member States have been invited to refine existing contributions
to the Headline Goal or offer more focused contributions;
- ECAP[23] panels have
considered capability shortfalls and outlined options expected
to fulfil shortfalls in the short and long term.
- Co-operation in the field of armaments;
- Consideration of measures for streamlining financing, procurement
and other defence policy aspects of military capabilities.
Civilian
"On the civilian side of ESDP, the report notes progress
made in the following areas:
- Concrete targets in the four priority areas exceeded;
- Development of the conceptual aspects of the EU civilian crisis
management capabilities;
- Tasking of the competent EU bodies to take forward work on
establishing an EU planning and mission support capability.
Civil-Military Co-ordination
"— Progress was made with the launch of an action
plan to strengthen civil-military co-ordination in EU crises management,
by development of guidelines for ESDP Crisis Response Information
Activities, and the strengthening of internal co-ordination.
Rapid Response
"The report notes progress made in the following areas:
- Development of procedures and concepts concerning the Rapid
Response Elements of the Headline Goal;
- Improvement of command and control arrangements for national
and multinational Headquarters.
Common Training
"The report notes progress made in the following areas:
- The launch of a process for the development of EU common training
at different levels within the ESDP context.
- The implementation of the EC project on Training for Civilian
Aspects of Crisis Management.
Co-operation with Outside Bodies
"The report notes progress made in the following areas:
- NATO: continued efforts made aimed at reaching a comprehensive
agreement with NATO on all outstanding permanent arrangements
between the EU and NATO;
- International Organisations: Co-operation with the
UN, OSCE and the Council of Europe has been pursued through high-level
and working-level contacts.
- Third Countries: Continued co-operation."
The Government's view
12.2 The Minister says that the Government welcomes the
report and supports the work outlined in it. He comments that
substantial progress has been made on the following:
"Work to prepare the first EU-led operations
"The first ESDP civilian operation began on 1 January 2003.
Following the Berlin Plus agreements at the Copenhagen European
Council, preparations in the EU are now well advanced for its
first military operation in Macedonia. This is being done in close
coordination with NATO and will be an EU operation based on recourse
to NATO assets. The UK also welcomes the proposal, noted in the
Copenhagen Conclusions for an EU operation in Bosnia in 2004,
taking over the stabilisation mission role from NATO, on the basis
of close consultation with the Alliance.
"The fight against terrorism
"UK supports the continuation of work on the implementation
of the Seville Declaration.
"The development of EU capabilities
"We believe we need to intensity efforts to improve the military
capabilities of EU Member States. Work continues in this area
with the development of new capability objectives. In the Future
of Europe Convention, the UK has proposed establishment of an
EU inter-governmental defence capabilities development agency.
"Civil Military co-ordination
"The UK welcomes the Action Plan for the further strengthening
of civil-military coordination in EU crisis management.
"Rapid response
"The UK regards developing the capacity for rapid reaction
as a European priority. Progress here will enable the EU to meet
its own objectives and will also strengthen the European contribution
to the establishment of a NATO Response Force, ensuring compatibility
between the two.
"Co-operation with NATO
"Progress on Berlin Plus has accelerated markedly since the
agreements in the EU and NATO in mid-December. Implementation
is proceeding well (expected completion date 1 March) There are
four main issues including:
- assured EU Access to NATO operational planning capabilities;
- presumption of availability to the EU of pre-identified NATO
capabilities and common assets;
- range of European command options for EU-led operations, further
developing the role of DSACEUR; and
- adaptation of NATO's defence planning system.
"The UK strongly welcomes the transparency and close cooperation
between the two organisations in all ESDP related work."
12.3 In his letter, the Minister responds to a request
to provide us with an Explanatory Memorandum on each of these
reports before the Council. He says that he will continue to encourage
Presidencies to circulate a draft of their reports on ESDP as
early as possible. However, he says he is sure we will understand
that the timing of these reports is very much a matter for each
Presidency. He therefore proposes to continue the practice whereby
his officials write to us as soon as the Presidency produces a
working draft.
12.4 The Minister points out that, while the Government
may offer comments, there is little scope for influencing the
content of the reports, which are the work of the Presidencies
which prepare them. It would be inappropriate for the Government
to seek to maintain a reserve, either on grounds of scrutiny or
policy. He proposes, therefore, to deposit the final version of
any future report from the Greek Presidency after formal endorsement
by the Council.
Conclusion
12.5 The Minister makes valid points on the nature
of these reports and we accept his proposals for scrutiny of them
in future. We take it that he means this system to apply to all
such reports, rather than just those of the Greek Presidency.
12.6 We thank the Minister for this Explanatory Memorandum
on the report to the Copenhagen European Council and note his
comments in particular on cooperation with NATO. We understand
that this has continued to advance well since his letter and Explanatory
Memorandum of 6 February, with various elements of the "Berlin
Plus" package agreed or close to agreement. Agreement has
also been reached on the secure exchange of information between
the two organisations.
12.7 We now clear this document.
23
European Capabilities Action Plan. Launched in 2001, it seeks
to deliver practical solutions to close the gap between the levels
of capability currently available from the Member States and those
required to meet the Headline Goal by 2003, as agreed at the Helsinki
European Council in 1999. Back
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