Paris, 17 December 2006 – In the run-up to its EU/WEU Presidency due to start in January, Germany believes that there are “very many challenges to be met in strengthening and broadening the ESDP”.

Speaking at the opening of the second part of the 52nd WEU Assembly session, Günter Gloser, Minister of State for Europe, explained that the German Presidency intended to “concentrate on four points” as far as the ESDP was concerned: missions and operations, strengthening crisis-management capabilities, consolidating strategic partnerships and conceptual development of the ESDP.

The European Security and Defence Policy was now a reality, as was clear from the “key role played by the EU in crisis management”, said Mr Gloser. “The European battlegroups will be fully operational as from 1 January, which means that, for the first time, the EU will be able to carry out the full range of Petersburg missions”, he added.

In his address, Mr Gloser explained that future ESDP missions could include a civilian mission to Kosovo, strengthening the civilian missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and possibly in Afghanistan. He stressed the need to improve methods for assessing responses to crisis situations, adding that Germany was willing to ensure that equal priority was given to civilian and military means for which “effort” would be necessary.

“Seven years after it first came into being, the ESDP is still an open project”, Mr Gloser continued, calling for “stronger strategic partnership in cooperation with both the United States and Russia”. He was in favour of “Russian participation in ESDP missions”.

In response to a question raised by Edward O’Hara (United Kingdom, Socialist Group) on the impact the deadlock over the European Constitutional Treaty was likely to have on the ESDP, Mr Gloser replied that Germany was intending to “consult internally” to ensure that hiatus created by the “No” votes in France and the Netherlands could be resolved as quickly as possible. Recalling that 18 countries had ratified the draft treaty, two had rejected it and seven had chosen to “wait and see”, he expressed the view that “wide debate” was urgently required for any “rethink before the forthcoming European Parliament elections” in June 2009.

Mr Gloser’s reply to a question raised by Ignacio Cosidó Gutiérrez (Spain, Federated Group) as to whether Germany would change its mind about its decision not to extend the EUFOR military mission in the Congo was somewhat less than forthright. Several European countries had called for the mission to be extended despite the Bundestag’s refusal to do so. Taking the view that this military mission under German command had “been concluded satisfactorily”, Mr Gloser felt that the major challenge would now be to ensure that the civilian component of the mission was extended. “Assisting the training of police forces and the judiciary in the Congo” would constitute “a very clear sign” from the European Union to that effect, he added.