France softens stance on NATO’s involvement in EU defence policy

Date: 27/04/2000

By Simon Taylor

A BREAKTHROUGH is in sight on the thorny question of how to involve NATO in shaping the EU's new security and defence policy, after a major shift in France's stance on the issue.

Until last week, progress in the Union's efforts to create the decision-making structures needed for the planned independent military force had been held up by the French government's reluctance to give NATO a major input into discussions.

Paris argued that links with the trans-atlantic military alliance should not be extended beyond the current level of a weekly informal breakfast meeting between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and NATO Secretary-General George Robertson. It insisted that links with the alliance should remain on an informal footing until the Union had finalised institutional arrangements for its new security and defence policy.

But Premier Lionel Jospin's government has now suggested holding joint meetings of EU and NATO officials to discuss key issues relating to the establishment of the fledgling crisis-management capability.

French diplomats confirmed this week that Paris had proposed creating a set of joint EU-NATO committees which would tackle the most difficult issues surrounding the Union's new security and defence initiative. In a paper drawn up in cooperation with the UK and submitted to a meeting of high-level EU foreign ministry officials last week, France suggested that the new committees which could address subjects including security arrangements between the two bodies, military capabilities and permanent Union-NATO relations.

French diplomats said that the initiative had been welcomed by other EU governments. 'The positive response of other delegations leads us to believe that we might have found a way out of the impasse,' said one.

This optimism was echoed by other delegations, who described Paris' new willingness to contemplate deeper ties with NATO as a major step forward. 'The French are taking the plunge. They have recognised that NATO's expertise exists and that it makes sense to take advantage of it,' said one diplomat.

Officials had characterised France's earlier uncompromising stance as 'wanting to finish building the house before talking about building bridges to anywhere else'. Now, said one, Paris had admitted that 'it was worth talking to another architect'.

The Anglo-French paper presented last week also outlined a number of ideas for mechanisms to consult the six European NATO nations which are not members of the Union. The proposals are close to the existing arrangements for members of the EU's existing defence arm, the Western European Union, with ambassador-level meetings at least every six months and ministerial sessions twice a year.

The plan reflects a recognition among EU diplomats that ensuring the six countries concerned feel fully involved in the new decision-making bodies is a key challenge for the Union.

EU foreign ministers are expected to hold further discussions on the latest proposals at their informal meeting in the Azores next weekend (6-7 May). It is hoped that heads of state and government will then finalise their position on the new arrangements to govern relations with NATO and third countries at their summit in June.

But a final decision will not be taken until Union leaders meet again in Nice in Dec-ember, after NATO and non-EU countries have been given a chance to express their views on the proposals.