Est. 1min 03-09-2003 (updated: 07-11-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) will be high on the agenda of the 5-6 September informal meeting of 25 EU and acceding country foreign ministers at Riva del Garda in Italy. In the wake of the Iraq war, the EU Member States remain divided over the future role and prospects of ESDP and there are also diverging views about how the EU should formulate its relationship with the US. Although the EU Member States work closely on defence and security-related issues, they still see the links between Europe and NATO differently. Read more with Euractiv Does US power failure have lessons for the EU's energy policy?The electricity blackout in the United States and Canada has raised questions about the security of the EU's national power grids. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters Positions Britain , a traditional US ally, believes that alongside strengthened cooperation among EU Members in the fields of boosting capabilities and improving operative cooperation, the EU should create a permament and dedicated military planning "cell" at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO's planning headquarters outside Brussels, to "contribute to planning in the pre-decisional phase. According to a "food for thought" paper circulated by London, "with NATO, the EU should make a reality of the strategic partnership". Britains welcomes the proposals to modernise the Petersberg Tasks and to create a solidarity clause to strengthen EU cooperation. At the same time, the UK remains opposed to proposals which would "fundamentally alter the balance achieved at Nice, especially any which would imply competition, rather than complementarity, with NATO". Germany and France , along with Belgium and Luxembourg , are not enthusiastic about the idea of further strengthening institutional arrangements between the EU and NATO. Based on an agreement reached at their "mini-summit" on 29 April, these countries are proposing the establishment of an independent EU planning and command staff for operations in which NATO is not involved. Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said the British proposal for a planning "cell" was "a step in the right direction" but was "not enough". These four countries would set up the EU's separate "cell" in Tervuren outside Brussels - and outside NATO's grounds. To date, the latter plan has received minority support among the 25 current and future EU Members. Background The European security and defence policy was launched by Britain and France in 1998 in an effort to complement the EU's economic and political institutions with a defence and security arm. Five years down the road, key decisions are still pending on "structured cooperation", strengthening capabilities and institutional development. Timeline The meeting at Riva del Garda will likely be followed by further exchanges leading up to the intergovernmental conference on the new EU Treaty to be officially launched on 4 October in Rome, where defence will be high on the agenda.
