Austria to cut up Barnier’s crisis blueprint

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 01/06/06

Proposals to reform dramatically the EU's crisis response capabilities are to be scaled back under plans which will be finalised at a summit later this month.

Some member states had expressed concern that recent proposals drawn up by former commissioner and French foreign minister Michel Barnier went too far, or were unworkable.

Under plans drafted by the Austrian presidency of the EU, the creation of a European civil protection force, proposed by the Barnier report, has been scrapped in favour of focusing on strengthening existing mechanisms.

The subject will be discussed by EU leaders at the European Council on 15-16 June.

The two sets of proposals come after widespread concern over the EU's ability to respond to disasters such as the 2004 Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the bomb attacks in Bali and Madrid.

Some officials in the Commission have also expressed fears that the Barnier paper would usurp many existing mechanisms or make them redundant. There is also concern that power would be too greatly concentrated in the Commission's external relations directorate - RELEX - which is seen as the big winner from Barnier's plans.

The measures now on the table represent a significant watering down of his proposals.

The Austrian presidency's text stops short of endorsing Barnier's work, describing it instead as a "useful input into further work in this field".

But many of his far-ranging proposals appear to have been shelved.

The creation of a command centre in Brussels has been dropped in favour of developing an "operational manual on EU emergency and crisis co-ordination", although this is being described as an interim measure. The manual, which is expected to be backed at the summit, establishes guidelines for crisis response using existing resources from the Council of Ministers, the Commission and the member states.

Barnier's suggestion that the EU should establish a disaster relief force has also been dropped in favour of developing "operational networks", which could be called upon in the event of a co-ordinated terrorist attack or an influenza pandemic.

According to the Austrian presidency's report these networks would draw "on best practices under existing bilateral and multilateral arrangements". A progress report on their functioning is expected in June 2007.

Proposals to establish joint consular assistance have been taken on, but the four pilot "European consulates" suggested by Barnier have been recast as "joint consular service points".

The Austrian proposal also foresees co-location of consular services, under which representatives from one member state could work from another member state's embassy or consulate.

EU leaders are also expected to adopt new common consular guidelines at the summit in June.

Article reports that the Austrian Presidency of the EU was to present a draft proposal to the European Council on 15-16 June 2006 on how to improve the EU's ability to deal with humanitarian crises across the world. Author suggests that this proposal would effectively water down the plan for a European civil protection force, presented by former European Commissioner Michel Barnier on 9 May 2006.

European Commission: Report: For a European civil protection force: europe aid, 9.5.06 http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/pdf/rapport_barnier_en.pdf

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