WRITTEN QUESTION P-0796/01 by Geoffrey Van Orden (PPE-DE) to the Council. The workings of the Rapid Reaction Force.
Date: 2001-03-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European defence policy, NATO, defence budget, international relations, rapid reaction force

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/95

(2001/C 340 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0796/01

by Geoffrey Van Orden (PPE-DE) to the Council

(14 March 2001)

Subject: The workings of the Rapid Reaction Force

Last weekend at Camp David Tony Blair and President Bush gave a joint press conference having
previously discussed, amongst other things, the implications of the so-called European Rapid Reaction
Force. President Bush said, with the Prime Minister standing next to him, that the latter had (cid:145)assured me
that there would be a joint command, that the planning (of the Rapid Reaction Force) would take place
within NATO, and that should all NATO not wish to go on a mission, that would then (my italics) serve as
a catalyst for the defence forces moving on their own.(cid:146)

On the previous Thursday, Tony Blair told the Canadian Parliament that (cid:145)the initiative on European
defence is not a standing army (cid:133) there will be no separate EU planning structures.(cid:146)

Does the Council believe that these interpretations of the workings of the Rapid Reaction Force are
consistent with the Presidency Report on the European Security and Defence Policy as agreed by the
Member States at Nice.

President Bush also said:
a vision would encourage our NATO allies and friends to bolster their defence budgets, perhaps.(cid:146)

(cid:145)I was very hopeful when we discussed the Prime Minister(cid:146)s vision that such

Does the Council believe that that there is any evidence of this?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The issue of planning, which is what the Hon. Member seems particularly interested in, is dealt with in
accordance with the European Council(cid:146)s decisions at Nice; strategic planning (i.e. the planning activities
that start as soon as a crisis emerges and ends with European Union decision-making on the military
strategic option) is done by the European Union(cid:146)s Military Staff.

In developing and prioritising military strategic options, the Military Staff may draw as appropriate on
planning support from external sources, in particular NATO. For operations requiring recourse to NATO
assets and capabilities, operational planning will be done in NATO. For an EU operation without recourse
to NATO assets and capabilities, operational planning will be carried out by a European national or
multinational headquarter.

Member States also committed themselves further to improve their capabilities. It is still early days, but
capabilities nationally and multinationally are being improved in ways which would not be taking place in
the absence of the ESDP. The Progress Catalogue, a first version of which should be ready at the end of the
Swedish Presidency, will identify follow on initiatives where progress is needed. A main element will be the
definition of the Review Mechanism outlined at Nice, which will allow the monitoring of quantitative and
qualitative progress towards achieving the Headline Goal.

(2001/C 340 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0799/01

by Ioannis Mar(cid:237)nos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 March 2001)

Subject: Accurate earthquake forecast

On 24 June 1999 the Commission announced on the Internet that Prenlab, which was developed by the
University of Edinburgh and receives EU funding, had accurately predicted an earthquake in Iceland
measuring five on the Richter Scale. On 27 and 29 October 1998 Prenlab notified the Icelandic authorities