DEFENCE: COUNCIL EXPERTS CONSIDER HOW TO SET UP CESDP RAPID REACTION FACILITY.

The Council working group that has examined the proposal has welcomed much of it, but finds that it goes into areas beyond the Commission's powers - a view backed by the Council's Legal Service. There could be an overlap with Common Foreign and Security Policy actions as long as the Commission's formulation of "all non-military activities" remains undefined, and there is a risk of the Commission infringing the Council's prerogatives. The form of the Commission's proposed crisis committee could circumvent the Council, it is feared. And some Member States say it is in any case premature, since discussions are still continuing on crisis management under the CESDP.The Presidency has proposed either that the proposed mechanism should be integrated into existing institutional structures, or that its definition should await the outcome of current discussions on military crisis management. One solution proposed in the Council is to transform the facility into a Joint Action under CFSP - but the Commission has argued that this would deprive the measure of any real force. The Commission says it is aiming at a new and simplified single procedure, rather than a time-consuming series of detailed modifications to existing procedures. The Council is also seeking to limit the Commission's autonomy for spending, both for the overall package (Euro 40 million a year from 2001), and for the threshold below which the Commission can act without reference to its committee.--The Commission proposal aims to enable quick release of funds for ururgent and unpredictable activities in non-military intervention - in hours or days rather than weeks or months. It is intended to put police, customs officers, judges and other non-military personnel in place for short-term conflict prevention and crisis management - in, for instance, a post-NATO Kosovo situation - covering anything from human rights and election monitoring to media support and border management, and from de-mining operations to training and equipping police. Under the Commission proposal, it will have a budget of Euro 30 million in 2001 and Euro 40 million for the five following years, and would focus on civic structures needed for political, social and economic stability. It would complement other EU aid, such as ECHO, which delivers humanitarian aid to individuals, and other longer-term forms of assistance. The idea is that it will be managed from within the External Relations Directorate-General of the...