92001E0008

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0008/01

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(17 January 2001)

Subject: European Defence and Security Policy and NATO

Do the decisions taken at Nice with regard to the European Defence and Security Policy look seemlessly and coherently into the wider framework for defence and security policy already in place as part of NATO?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2001)

The Commission welcomes the Nice decisions on the European Security and defence policy (ESDP) and believes they are fully coherent with the wider defence and security policy already in place as part of the North atlantic treaty organization (NATO).

The Nice decisions concern the Union's ability to act where the Alliance as a whole is not engaged in cases falling within the so-called Petersberg tasks. These relate to crisis management and peacekeeping and do not cover the issue of the territorial defence of Member States.

NATO's Washington Summit underlined the enhanced role attributed to crisis management policy outside purely defence considerations. The new structures and capabilities developed under ESDP should be seen as complementary to those of the alliance.

It is the Commission's understanding that both NATO members and Union Member States are ready to play a full role in operations of this kind, within the framework of NATO or of the Union and within the emerging dialogue and cooperation between these two organisations.

There is naturally a need to continue work on the procedural aspects of this cooperation. These are taking place within the four Union/NATO working groups which have been meeting regularly for the past months.