We were pleased to have Javier Solana with us this morning who briefed us on the outcome of the EU summit in Helsinki last weekend. We all agree that NATO's Washington Summit and the EU Summit in Helsinki give us a solid foundation on which to build ESDI within the Alliance. In particular, the EU's Headline Goals for its future military requirements are encouraging. The European Allies have identified the crucial capabilities they will need for ESDI to operate effectively. But they must deliver on these commitments.
Intentions are very good and new institutions are very useful.
But it is results that count. ESDI will be judged first and foremost by the capabilities that it delivers to the EU and to the Alliance. This morning we heard from the Portuguese Foreign Minister that the Portuguese EU Presidency will make proposals to achieve these objectives. For our part, we will see how NATO's assets and planning can be made readily available to the EU to support its operation. Our second discussion was on the proliferation of the ballistic missile threat.