DEFENCE: FOREIGN MINISTERS APPROVE PRESIDENCY REPORT TO THE HELSINKI SUMMIT.

The report is made up of two separate parts, the first dealing with military aspects of crisis management and based on four measures:- A common European headline goal has been adopted - based on existing national and multinational capabilities - for leading the so-called "Petersberg tasks" as set out in the Amsterdam Treaty (peace-keeping, humanitarian and evacuation tasks, combat forces for crisis management and peace enforcement operations);- New political and military bodies will be established within the Council to enable the Union to take decisions on Petersberg operations;- Principles have been laid down for cooperation with non-EU European NATO members;- Likewise, principles have been laid down for cooperation between the EU and NATO.Military capabilities.To be able to undertake the full range of Petersberg tasks, the report gauges the necessary European military capacity to be "15 brigades or 50,000 - 60,000 persons". Member States should be able to deploy in full at this level within 60 days and must be able to sustain such a deployment for at least one year. This headline goal should be reached by the year 2003. The report also mentions the Western European Union (WEU) "Audit of assets and capabilities for EU-led crisis management operations" indicating that Member States should rapidly determine "command, control, intelligence and strategic transport collective capability goals" (areas where the WEU audit identified shortcomings).Institutional developments.All Member States are entitled to participate fully and on an equal footing in all decisions and deliberations of the Council and Council bodies on EU-led operations, indicates the report. Decisions must be unanimous but abstentions will not block decision-making (in line with Article 23 of the Treaty on European Union). To enable the EU to take such decisions, three new political and military bodies will be set up within the Council: - A standing Political and Security Committee (PSC), made up of national representatives at senior/ambassadorial level. Under the authority of the Council, the committee would exercise political control and strategic direction of military crisis management operations. "Appropriate procedures will be adopted in order to allow effective and urgent decision taking", but the report does not give any details.- A Military Committee will be composed of the Chiefs of Defence, represented by their military delegates. This Committee will give military...