[A-List] EU integration struggles: the Big Three & CSDP

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

How clever of Schröder to position himself as the pivotal player in EU
negotiations whilst Blair and Chirac fall out over both agriculture and now
defence. However I wonder just how serious this is. After all, Chirac was a
regular visitor on the quiet to Downing St, where he and Tony can parler en
Francais like no other London-Paris axis in living memory. Perhaps it suited
Chirac to have that relationship whilst cohabiting with Jospin, who was
noticeably much cooler towards Blair than other social democrats in Europe.
Since reelection, however, Chirac appears to be asserting himself much more
confidently and using the full weight of the French state apparatus to push
ahead on various fronts that had been ceded, in appearance at least, to
other EU member states. Why? While there is no love lost between Schröder
and Chirac, both I think understand the imperative of accelerated EU
integration as a bulwark against US interference. Both are wary of US
intentions in Iraq, and while Chirac has never been as categorical in his
opposition to US adventurism in Iraq as Schröder, he does seem to have a
more urgent belief in the necessity of a separate EU military identity.


Dispute over defence force links with Nato
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
FT.com, Last Updated: October 30 2002 4:00

The future of the European Union's fledgling European and Security Defence
Policy is approaching a crossroads with Britain and France each determined
to shape its direction.

In what may be a test case for ESDP's future, Britain has made it clear it
could not support the EU going into Macedonia without an accord with Nato.

Diplomats said the dispute between London and Paris has exposed the
ambiguities inherent in ESDP, set up as a defence arm of the EU power four
years ago by Tony Blair, UK prime minister, and Jacques Chirac, French
president.

EU monitors backed by Nato troops are implementing a peace accord in
Macedonia that would give the ethnic Albanian minority equality with the
Macedonian Slav majority.

London's insistence was spelt out in a letter sent at the weekend by Nigel
Sheinwald, Britain's ambassador to the EU, to the Greek presidency, who
chair defence matters for the EU. It was written after the Brussels summit
where France, backed by Belgium and other countries, strongly suggested it
wanted the Europeans to take over the Macedonian operation without a Nato
agreement.

EU diplomats said Mr Blair wants to use ESDP as an instrument for improving
Europe's military capabilities through a strong institutional link to Nato.
France views ESDP becoming in the long term more distant from, if not
independent of, Nato.

This explains why an accord with Nato, known as Berlin Plus, has been
important for Britain and other countries to clinch. It would guarantee the
EU access to Nato assets and planning if the organisation did not want to
run the operation.

Greece and Turkey, however, have for two years blocked agreement over Berlin
Plus, precipitating moves by France and Belgium to try to launch ESDP in
Macedonia without it.

Frustration has been exacerbated by the slow pace in improving logistics,
communications and strategic airlift, hardware the Europeans lack but which
are essential if the ESDP is to launch its rapid reaction force in 2003.

Some EU military experts said the Europeans could easily take over the Nato
mission without Berlin Plus since most of the 700 soldiers are European.
Other experts said the mission has an agreement with Nato's 1,200-strong
Kfor Rear forces in Kosovo and Macedonia to provide security, search and
extraction in case Nato or the EU monitors in Macedonia come under attack.

"Are the Europeans prepared to duplicate all this security and personnel?"
asked a military officer. Germany and Britain oppose any duplication.
Germany said it needs all the troops it can muster for Afghanistan.