Date of release : 16-03-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers

The informal meeting of Ministers of Defence will take place in Luxembourg on the 18th of March, 2005. The Luxembourg Minister of Defence, Luc Frieden, will preside over this half-yearly meeting, which takes place at the Kiem Conference Center (KCC), located on the Kirchberg plateau, north-east of Luxembourg City.

The agenda of the meeting foresees to tackle the following issues:

• the situation in the Western Balkans and Operation ALTHEA

On the 2^nd of December 2004, the European Union took over from NATO in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting in Luxembourg will give the Ministers of Defence the opportunity to take stock of Operation ALTHEA;

• the military capabilities, including battle groups

The Ministers of Defence will continue their work with regard to the development of European military capabilities in order to improve the European Union’s efficiency in crisis management. In this context, the discussions will allow them to perfect the concept of the battle group;

• the ESDP contribution to the fight against terrorism

The terrorist threat remains omnipresent on the European continent and world-wide. The ESDP, through its military capabilities, can make an important contribution to the fight against terrorism. The Ministers will take stock of the work in progress;

• the follow-up of the natural disaster in South-East Asia

Thanks to the military capabilities deployed by several Member States of the European Union, an important contribution could be made in order to rescue Tsunami victims. An assessment of the European action is essential to guarantee even more coherence and coordination in a similar situation in the future. The Ministers of Defence will exchange their views on this issue;

• the ESDP information policy

European citizens should be better informed on what’s at stake at the ESDP as well as on the significance of its action. The ministers will discuss about how to promote the objectives and significance of the ESDP;

• the role of ESDP in Africa

Jan Pronk, the special representative to the Secretary General of the United Nations for Sudan will report on the implementation of the peace agreement signed in Nairobi on the 9^th of January 2005.

Through concrete measures such as the formation of African armies for crisis management operations, the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-servicemen as well as security sector reforms, the ESDP can reinforce peace and security in Africa. The Ministers of Defence will tackle the practical modalities for the implementation of those measures;

• military security and development co-operation

Security and development go hand in hand: without peace and stability, no economic and social progress is possible. Without economic and social progress, peace and stability are not sustainable. The Ministers of Defence will assess the close relationship between security and development co-operation.