MINISTERS of the Western European Union (WEU) will today approve procedures for involving observer members, like Ireland, in its peacekeeping missions. In doing so the WEU will take an important step towards integrating itself into the EU's foreign and security policy structure as its semi detached military wing.
The Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, and the Minister for Defence, Mr Barrett, will intend the WEU Council, meeting in Birmingham, as observers. It is set to offer the neutrals the opportunity to opt into peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, broadly known "as "Petersberg tasks", on a case by case basis.
The declaration today is understood to pay tribute to the special contribution made by the EU neutrals to UN operations and to the contribution "observers could bring to WEU operations in a Petersberg framework". Sources say Ireland could then become involved in the command and control of individual operations carried out by the WEU at the request of the EU.
Irish officials are also pleased that the final declaration reflects a broader definition of the new security challenges faced by Europe - from regional instability to the drugs trade - than the traditional Cold War balance of power concerns.
The agreement reflects the direction in which member states are heading in the reform of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy structures in the InterGovernmental Conference.
With the accession of Finland, Sweden and Austria, there are now five EU states which are not full members of the WEU. Yet both the EU and the WEU regard the latter as an integral part of the future development of the Union, effectively its defence component.
And most member states would like in the long run to see the EU and WEU merge - an option "clearly destined to be" was how the Commission President, Mr Jacques Santer, put it in a recent edition of Nato review.
But the neutrals have made it clear they are not prepared to go down this road. They want to keep the WEU at arm's length, with the option to get involved in individual operations. The recent Foreign Policy White Paper was blunt about the Government's resolute opposition to the WEU's Article Five commitment to mutual self defence. It also made clear that Ireland would not want to be involved in peace enforcing operations.
Opposition to Article Five commitments was also emphasised two weeks ago by a joint Swedish Finnish security initiative.
Britain and Portugal, strong proponents of the transatlantic relationship, do not wish to see any implied dilution in their commitment to Nato and have vehemently opposed a merger.
The WEU has been seen by many until recently as a talking shop, and an internal assessment estimates that the organisation would not be capable of managing an operation of more than 15,000 troops, let alone the 60,000 under Ifor in Bosnia. Indeed, the organisation's secretary general, Mr Jose Cutiliero, ruled out taking over the Ifor mandate.
But with France's recent warming to Nato, plans are now being drawn up within the organisation to reform the US dominated command structure to create the possibility of Nato resources, under European officers, being placed at the disposal of a revamped WEU under a system called Combined Joint Task Forces.
In Brussels, the organisation is developing a new "situation centre" to help EU governments plan and co ordinate operations.
The lessons of the Bosnian experience are part of the agenda for defence ministers today. The issue of what happens to Ifor at the end of the year, when the US says it will pull out, is sure to be discussed. Despite a call by the EU's External Affairs Commissioner, Mr Hans van den Broek, on Friday for Europe to take up this mantle, a decision is not expected.
