The Alliance’s Defence Capabilities Initiative (DCI) agreed in Washington, is designed to ensure the effectiveness of future multinational operations across the full range of NATO missions and will play a crucial role in this process. Objectives arising from the DCI and the efforts of the EU to strengthen European capabilities are mutually reinforcing.

The Helsinki meeting of the Council of the European Union held in December 1999, established a “Headline Goal” for EU member states in terms of their military capabilities for crisis management operations. The objective is to enable the EU to deploy, by the year 2003, and sustain for at least one year, military forces of up to 50,000 to 60,000 troops to undertake the full range of the so-called Petersberg tasks set out in the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997.

The Petersberg tasks consist of humanitarian and rescue tasks; peacekeeping tasks; and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking, whose role would be to undertake military operations led by the EU in response to international crises, in circumstances where NATO as a whole is not engaged militarily. This process is part of the EU’s resolve to develop a common European policy on security and defence which would underpin its Common Foreign and Security Policy, while avoiding unnecessary duplication with NATO structures.

In addition, the EU decided to create permanent political and military structures, including a Political and Security Committee, a Military Committee and a Military Staff, to ensure the necessary political guidance and strategic direction for such operations. Interim structures have been put in place. The EU also decided to develop arrangements for full consultation, cooperation and transparency with NATO and to set up appropriate structures to ensure the necessary dialogue, consultation and cooperation with European NATO members which are not members of the EU, on issues related to European security and defence policy and crisis management.

The Alliance is committed to reinforcing its European pillar through the development of an effective European Security and Defence Identity and of separable but not separate capabilities, which could respond to European requirements and at the same time contribute to Alliance security. The assumption of greater responsibility for their own security by the European member countries is intended to strengthen the Alliance as a whole and to lead to a stronger and more balanced transatlantic relationship. NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson has emphasised repeatedly that “more Europe” will not lead to “less NATO”.