Observatory on European defence, November 2004

November 2004 
Europe - Iraq
There were several initiatives this month focused on the situation in Iraq. An agreement was reached at the 2 November EU General Affairs and External Relations Council to finalize Europe’s support for the Iraqi government. 
This included 

• starting European Commission consultations to conclude an agreement on political and commercial cooperation and to evaluate the possibility of using the Generalized System of Preferences 
• financing additional aid (€30 million) 
• sending experts to monitor the elections in January 2005 
• starting negotiations aimed at funding the UN Protection force 
• sending experts to plan a mission for civil administration and police following the elections. 

On the military level, differentiated withdrawals of several contingents currently deployed in Iraq were announced. 
Among them the Hungarian one (by February 2005), the Dutch (15 March), the Polish (end 2005), the Portuguese (after the elections), while the Danish mission was extended. 
On 10 November, the NATO Military Committee adopted the Operational Plan (OPLAN) of the training mission of the Iraqi forces, submitted to the approval of the North Atlantic Council. 
From 23 to 25 November, the Force Generation Conference held at SHAPE discussed, among other things, developments in operations in Iraq. While there is agreement on financing the training mission in Iraq, some members (11 out of 26, including Germany, France, Belgium and Spain) will not participate in the mission on Iraqi ground. 
The mission in Iraq should be deployed by January 2005. 
From 1 to 9 November, the first training mission outside Iraq was held at the NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre of Stavanger, Norway, as well as at the Center for High Defence Studies, Rome. 
Finally, on 23 November, an agreement on remission of 80% of Iraq’s debt from the 19 countries of the Paris Club ($33 billion out of 42) was reached at an International Conference in Sharm el Sheik.

2 November 2004 
General Affairs and External Relations Council - Middle East, Sudan
The General Affairs and External Relations Council, beside discussing the European commitment in Iraq (see news above), analysed the overall situation in the Middle East. 
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs approved the measures needed to resume the dialogue proposed by High Representative Solana, focused on four priorities of intervention on the Palestinian territories: security structures (a programme of assistance for the Palestinian police is foreseen from January 2005), reforms, elections and economic assistance. 
In the long term they hope to resume negotiations in accordance with the so-called Road Map. 
Moreover, on 5 November a meeting between the EU and US representative was held for the relaunch of the peace process after the death of Arafat (11 November). 
The Council then discussed the situation in Sudan/Darfur, promising economic (€80 million) and logistic support for the African Union mission and possibly military observers and police support, if required.

4-5 November 
European Council - Middle East, Iran, Terrorism 
The European Council analysed the work carried out by the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 2 November, in particularly approving the measures proposed for the Middle East, Iraq (by means of an annexed declaration) and Sudan/Darfur (not excluding the imposition of sanctions in this latter case). 
The Council also discussed relations with Iran, offering commercial and cooperation negotiations in exchange for a voluntary stop to the Iranian nuclear programme. The EU supports the action of the IAEA and threatened to submit the case to the United Nations Security Council in case of lack of collaboration. 
The text of the agreement proposed by the EU-3 (France, Germany and United Kingdom) and the High Representative does not speak openly of unlimited suspension of the Iranian programme, but likely linked to the last of the negotiations. Subsequently, on 6 November a preliminary agreement was reached and on 15 November Iran declared the temporary suspension of the uranium enrichment process. 
The IAEA will verify that the suspension is maintained in view of a long-term reciprocally acceptable agreement. 
This move has been viewed with scepticism especially from the United States, also because of the failure of the previous EU-Iran agreement of October 2003. On 29 November, the IAEA executive board approved the agreement, thereby avoiding submission of the case to the United Nations Security Council. 
The Justice and Home Affairs Council focused on counter-terrorism. 
Action directives were submitted for the next 5 years aimed at favouring: 

• exchange of information among the forces of order of the different member States (by 2008) 
• the prevention and fight against terrorism, establishing a network of national experts 
• police cooperation 
• management of cross-border crises within the EU. 

On 16 November, the Ecofin Council reached consensus (with only the Italian vote against) on its proposal to regulate control of the movement of capital at external borders to counter the funding of terrorist groups. 
The EU is already helping Morocco fight the financing of terrorism. 
In turn, on 19 November the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted measures aimed at streamlining operational collaboration among police forces.

22 November 2004 
EU Defence Ministers Informal Meeting - Capabilities, Defence Agency
The EU Defence Ministers, informally gathered, discussed development of European military capabilities. 
The “military capabilities commitment conference” and an evaluation of the ECAP (European Capabilities Action Plan) initiatives were held. As far as the implementation of the Headline Goal 2010, the efforts will be oriented especially at filling gaps in strategic and tactical transport and forces deployability within the GAD (Global Approach on Deployability), particularly the Battlegroups, also through pooling and coordination of the means made available to the EU. 
Attention was focused on Battlegroups (components of the EU Rapid Reaction Force and complementary to the NATO Response Force); France, Italy and the United Kingdom want to make national Battlegroups available as of 2005, while other States announced their contribution to Battlegroups as of 2007, for a total of 13 groups, which could allow for simultaneous conduct of two EU-led military operations as of 2007. Some States also declared their availability to provide specific niche capabilities, such as medical and coordination units. 
Moreover, civil/military coordination cells existing at national and multinational level were examined. 
Concerning capabilities, on 17 November the Estonian Chief of the Army General Staff declared that the country will not be ready to participate to the EU Rapid Reaction Force in the next years because of its limited resources focused on development of military capabilities within NATO. 
On 22 November the second meeting of the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency was held with the adoption of the working programme and the budget for 2005 (€20 million, 3 of which for future programmes and projects of the defence Agency); the Green Paper on the defence market promoted by the European Commission was also discussed. 
On the margins of the EU Defence Ministers informal meeting, the five Eurocorps countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain) signed the statute concerning its General Headquarter, situated in Strasbourg.

22-23 November 2004 
General Affairs and External Relations Council - Capabilities, Missions, ESDP
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council discussed several developments of CFSP and ESDP. 
The results of the Conference on military and civilian capabilities of 22 November were approved. 
Of the civilian capabilities provided for ESDP, there is an overall availability of 5,671 police officers, 631 judicial officers, 562 personnel for civil administration and 4,988 for civil protection. 
A document establishing the possible contributions of space applications to the ESDP military capabilities was approved. On 25 November, the first ESA-EU Space Council was held, preparing the future European space programme. 
The Council extended for one more year (until 15 December 2005) the mandate of the EUMM (EU Monitoring Mission) in Bosnia and formally approved the launch of the Althea mission, of which the EU will take command on 2 December. 
Concerning the financing mechanism (Athena) of the common costs of the mission, a request for a draft review of functioning modes was submitted. Previously, on 17 November the European Parliament had deplored the fact that the mission was funded by contributions that are external to the EU ordinary budget. 
The Proxima police mission in Macedonia-FYROM was extended until 14 December 2005. 
The Council took note of the agreement reached with Iran on 15 November and expressed its concern about the situation in Ukraine, determined by the internal political crisis following the presidential elections. The Ukrainian crisis was a matter of discussion at the Russia-EU summit in The Hague. 
The General Affairs and External Relations Council discussed the crisis in Ivory Coast, where on 6 November an attack by national forces caused deaths among French and US soldiers; a UN mission monitoring the instability deriving from the civil war is present in the country. Strongly condemning the event, the EU currently rules out an intervention in Ivory Coast, but threatens sanctions, in addition to the embargo on arms sales approved at the UN on 15 November. 
The Council approved an action plan supporting peace and security in Africa involving, in particular, support for planning, disarmament, mobilisation and reintegration of combatants, as well as reform of the defence sector.
Regarding the fight against terrorism, the Council adopted a document to be forwarded, for approval, to the European Council of 16 and 17 December, in which four main areas of action were identified: prevention, protection, management of the response and consequences, and support to third countries.
The Council took note of the sixth annual report on the application of the EU Code of Conduct on armaments export and discussed in particular the case of China, in view of the bilateral meeting of 8 December, expressing the desire to give positive signals on the issue of the embargo on arms sales, while not identifying concrete undertakings or schedules. 
Previously, on 17 November, the European Parliament had adopted a report which conditions the lifting of restrictive measure on the fact that the EU Code of Conduct on arms export must be made more binding and that China undertakes concrete measures in the field of human rights. 
Finally, on 25 November, the EU budget for 2005 was approved, which foresees €192 million for the reconstruction of Iraq and €63 million for ESDP.