EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY (ESDP):
PRESIDENCY REPORT
Letter from Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP,
Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 19 December 2005[64]
informing me that the UK Presidency ESDP Report had been cleared
from scrutiny. You raised questions about a number of issues in
the Report.
Firstly, the likelihood of an ESDP mission being
established in Kosovo. There is a general understanding amongst
EU Member States and the broader international community that
the EU should engage more broadly in Kosovo once the status process
has been concluded. Areas where the EU could contribute through
ESDP include policing and rule of law. However the precise nature
of any mission will depend on the outcome of the final status
process. We expect NATO to keep a military presence in Kosovo
after a final status settlement. We will update you on developments
in Kosovo through written ministerial statements following meetings
of the General Affairs and External Relations Council and will
write to you as details of any likely ESDP involvement in Kosovo
become clearer.
Secondly, there are currently no plans to extend
the EU Border Assistance Mission on the Moldova/Ukraine border,
which was launched on 30 November 2005.
Finally, there are no specific ESDP requirements
for space-based capabilities under Headline Goal 2010. Nor are
there any plans to build such capabilities. Acquiring capabilities
remains a Member State responsibility and therefore the EU will
not be acquiring any space-based military capabilities under ESDP.
The Requirements Catalogue 05 listed the broad capabilities necessary
to meet the EU's Headline Goal 2010 ambitions. Space-based assets
were included as options to meet some of the requirements but
are not the only possibilities. Other capabilities (eg unmanned
aerial vehicles) may represent better value for money. The UK
will continue to oppose the procurement of common funded military
assets, including those that are space-based, by the EU. It is
UK policy that any shortfalls in ESDP capabilities identified
should be met in the most cost-effective manner while avoiding
duplication of assets with existing NATO capabilities.
As you say in your letter, you can explore these
issues further with Lord Drayson on 19 January and with me on
26 January.
You asked for a number of documents that are
referred to in the Report to be deposited for scrutiny. As agreed
with the Committee Clerk, I will forward the Civilian Capabilities
Improvement Action Plan to you shortly. Also as agreed with the
Committee Clerk I have passed your request for Battlegroups documents
to the Ministry of Defence, which leads on the military capability
aspects of ESDP, and they will be in touch separately about these.
12 January 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
The next meeting of the European Council is
on 15-16 June 2006. At this meeting Foreign Ministers are expected
to agree the Presidency's Report on the European Security and
Defence Policy (ESDP) and the ESDP mandate for the incoming Finnish
Presidency. An Explanatory Memorandum is attached (not printed).
We had hoped to deposit the ESDP report before
now, given that the European Council is less than two weeks away.
Regrettably this was not possible because a draft of the final
text was only released on 1 June. We hope that there will be sufficient
time for the report to clear scrutiny before it is adopted at
the end of next week.
6 June 2006
64 Correspondence with Ministers, 45th Report of Session
2005-06, HL Paper 243, p 280. Back
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