Paris, 2 December 2008 – On Tuesday Mr Jean-Marie Bockel, State Secretary for Defence of France, assured members of the Assembly that, notwithstanding the pressures of the global financial crisis, the French EU Presidency would continue to promote an ambitious strategy to develop the ESDP.

“The European Council of 11 and 12 December next [which marks the end of the French Presidency] should confirm the lofty capability, operational and industrial ambitions in the area of the ESDP that the EU wishes to build on so that its voice might be better heard around the world” he declared. Speaking of the long-term reinforcement of European military capabilities, he underlined that “in spite of a difficult international context, there will be a significant increase in resources for the European Defence Agency in 2009 to ensure the continuing development of European industrial programmes”.

Mr Bockel recalled that under the French Presidency the EU had continued and broadened its involvement in international crisis management and resolution, citing in particular Operation EUFOR Tchad/RCA in Chad and the Central African Republic and Operation ATALANTA to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden. While “the growing number of military and civil-military missions calls for improved coordination of EU operations”, this should not detract from “strengthening ties with NATO” whose last summit in Bucharest demonstrated “the Alliance’s political will to see the ESDP develop”, Mr Bockel added.

He recalled the French initiative to establish “a small-scale permanent structure, a core operational headquarters” in Brussels. As regards talks between the 27 EU member states, the Minister recommended “a concrete and pragmatic approach”. “The ESDP needs a minimum of autonomous resources”. Mr Bockel welcomed the ongoing development of the MUSIS satellite observation programme which would “give Europeans more independence in the area of information and intelligence”.

Mr Bockel, himself a member of the Assembly for six years, saluted “the valuable role” it played in maintaining a “constructive, political dialogue among Europeans” on the ESDP which, in his view, had to fulfil three main objectives: “the need for a degree of autonomy in the strategic and operational planning phase, the emergence of a European arms industry and interoperability between the men and forces in its service”.