EU defence agency gets the go ahead

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS ? EU defence ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday have agreed to the setting up of a European defence agency.

Ministers from the 25 current and future member states agreed that an ?establishment team? should be set up in January 2004 with the aim of getting the agency up and running before summer 2004.

Addressing the meeting of EU defence ministers, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, "I will do my best to give the agency a strong profile in terms of efficiency, competence and results of its work".

Geoff Hoon, the UK Defence Secretary, welcomed the decision.

He said defence ministers "felt quite strongly that it is a matter for European defence ministers to push this along as we?re the ones to most readily recognise the problems that we face in practice".

euobserver.com...

Bonus newsitem: Finland has offered an airbase at Kauhajoki to be used as a training center for European fighter pilots.

It's strange. I thought Javier Solana was against such idea. Anyway, the EU without NATO and the USA, it's like a 10 years old kid saying that he's mature and don't need his/her parents anymore.

Dude, europe had armies and had conquered the world long before USA even existed. I think they can handle this

Another related newsitem:

Powell positive on EU defence plans

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The US Secretary of State Colin Powell indicated today (18 November) that his government was now more comfortable with EU plans to develop its defence capabilities.

"We support all the initiatives that are underway to expand the capabilities of the European Union in the security field", he told journalists after meeting his EU counterparts.

According to sources Mr Powell brought to the meeting a number of questions about the EU?s drive for more defence autonomy, relating particularly the possible risks to NATO?s primacy in Europe.

One eastern European diplomat told the EUobserver that the EU?s position that development in the military sphere would not put NATO in jeopardy went some why to reassuring Mr Powell.

euobserver.com...