EU Leaders Approve Defense PlanLeaders of the European Union (EU) on Friday approved the 15-nation bloc's defense plan including a rapid reaction force and "permanent political and military structures."The leaders at their Nice Summit, which is due from Thursday to Saturday, said their "decisions represent a crucial step" in achieving the objective of EU's common security and defense policy: to have the EU play its full role on the international stage, while fulfilling the two basic criteria: credibility and decision- making autonomy. According to a final document made by France, the current EU presidency holder, the approved defense package includes EU member states' capabilities commitments and the decision to establish the EU's own permanent Political and Security Committee, Military Committee and Military Staff. The leaders reaffirmed their stand that effective decision- making machinery will make it possible for the EU to manage international crises "using the full range of the Union's external action resources." "The European Union will have an autonomous capacity to take decisions and, where NATO as such is not engaged, to launch and conduct crisis management operations," they reiterated. The leaders described the EU's defense approach as "an open- ended one," saying that they cleared arrangements with the non-EU European NATO allies and the EU candidate countries "in order for them to be consulted and involved" in EU operations. On EU-NATO ties, the leaders said they adopted proposals for arrangements between the two organizations, which mainly overlap in European part. The EU decided to develop "a close, trusting relationship with the Atlantic Alliance," the final document said. The U.S.-led transatlantic alliance "continues to form the basis for its members' collective defense," the EU resolution made clear. "Consultations and cooperation between the two organizations will be developed on security, defense and crisis management issues of mutual interest, in order to allow for the most appropriate military response to a crisis and ensure effective crisis management," it said. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |