Today's Date:

Fifth Franco-German Council of Ministers – Statement by the Franco-German Defense and Security Council

Paris, April 26, 2005

France and Germany reaffirm their conviction that the entry into force of the Constitutional Treaty will be an important milestone in the effort to assert Europe's influence on the international stage and increase its ability to promote world peace and security.

Our countries welcome the fact that, for the first time in the European Union's history, the community of destiny between member States is embodied in a Constitution. The Constitutional Treaty is thus a milestone in the affirmation of the European political project which our countries have supported from the outset. Adopting the proposals which our countries had presented jointly in the Convention on the Future of Europe, the Constitution states in particular the principle of solidarity in the face of risks and threats of all kinds. It obliges the EU and its member States to assist, using all the instruments at its disposal, including military resources, a member State struck by a natural or man-made disaster or a terrorist act. In the event of armed aggression against the territory of one of them, member States will also have to give help and assistance by all means in their power. For France and Germany, these commitments are naturally compatible with those undertaken in the Atlantic Alliance, which is the foundation of our collective defence.

The Constitution will also be the instrument for increasing the effectiveness of European action on the international stage thanks to:

- a more coherent and high-profile common foreign, security and defence policy, thanks to the creation of the post of EU foreign minister;
- a stronger remit for European defence by broadening the spectrum of EU tasks;
- more efficient European defence efforts and a stronger industrial defence base through the joint work in the European Defence Agency;
- the possibility for member States wishing to do so to go further together in the building of an increasingly efficient and mutually-supportive Defence Europe in the framework of permanent structured cooperation.

Already, the momentum triggered by the Constitutional Treaty has brought some new instruments to improve the operational efficiency of European defence. France and Germany support strengthening the European capabilities for planning and conducting operations which are currently being established within the EU general staff (civilian-military cell). Thanks to these capabilities, in 2006 the EU will be able rapidly to set up an operations centre to conduct autonomous operations of the size of Operation Artemis, particularly where a civilian-military response is necessary and a national HQ has not been designated. Moreover, they consider that a small European Union cell in SHAPE and liaison arrangements between NATO and the EU general staff will contribute to the development of the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO in crisis management. We are convinced that development of the ESDP is helping to strengthen the Alliance's European pillar.

France and Germany are contributing to the battle groups project and are pleased that a very large number of member States have decided to participate in it. The increase in the EU's rapid response capability it permits – through the establishment of very rapidly deployable multinational or national forces – will facilitate the EU's ability to conduct autonomous military operations, particularly in support of the United Nations. The Franco-German Brigade (FGB) will supply the nucleus of a battle group in 2008. France and Germany are contributing to the initial operational capacity of the battle groups by supplying, as early as 2006, joint elements which they will command alternately. Both our countries have decided to make other battle groups available to the European Union. The battle groups and the NATO Response Force (NRF) are compatible. Over the past two years, our countries are proud to have contributed to the European Union's first military operations to promote peace. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, our countries participated in the European Union's first autonomous operation (Artemis). First in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and then in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the European Union took over from NATO. In the latter country it is still conducting a major operation deploying 6,700 troops (Operation Althea) with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities. This action has been complemented by the European Union Police Mission (EUPM). In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Proxima police operation is pursuing its mission. In Georgia, the EU has launched a mission to help establish the rule of law. In the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, it is preparing to launch training programmes for civil servants, particularly police officers and judges.

Bi- and multilateral cooperation at operational level has been one of the major successes of the past six months. The deployment of Eurocorps and the Franco-German Brigade (FGB) in Afghanistan in the second half of 2004 in NATO's ISAF has demonstrated the great capacity of these multinational European forces to carry out their mission in a difficult environment. This deployment was marked by the smooth conduct of the Afghan presidential election. Our two countries are pursuing their efforts in Kosovo. NATO's KFOR, commanded by a French general, who took over from a German general in 2004, will have a decisive role in 2005, since this year may see the opening of the discussions on Kosovo's future status.

France and Germany want to step up their bilateral military cooperation in order to support the development of Defence Europe. Exchanges of officer cadets and of serving officers are helping create a common defence culture. The reciprocal exchanges of French and German officer cadets in military and academic training schemes and scheduled participation of two German pilots in the Franco-Belgian fighter-pilot training programme are contributing to this development.

Similarly, our two countries are committed to speeding up the modernization of the multinational forces in which they are participating. What is to be a more integrated Franco-German Brigade will become a major modern, very rapidly deployable unit capable of carrying out the most demanding missions particularly for the European Union and NATO. To this end, the French and German armies have set out their major policy guidelines for the next few years in a paper entitled “Vision commune sur l’avenir de la Brigade Franco-allemande” [common vision of the future of the Franco-German Brigade]. As well as contributing to the battle groups project, in 2006 the Brigade will also participate with Eurocorps in the NATO Rapid Response Force.

Closer cooperation between our defence capabilities will increasingly mean acquiring common equipment and pooling our capabilities. In this respect, our countries welcome the entry into service of the Tiger combat helicopter. Joint training is already provided for trainers and maintenance personnel in the Le Luc (France) and Fassberg (Germany) training schools respectively. Pilots will begin their training in September.

Similarly, France and Germany have agreed to explore with interested partners all the possibilities of European cooperation offered by the entry into service, in 2008, of the A 400M strategic airlifter. This involves establishing European training programmes and logistic capabilities and joint use of the planes. In this context, France and Germany are pursuing their goal of eventually forming a joint air transport squadron. Our countries have agreed to step up their studies of all these issues within the framework of the France-German Defence and Security Council.

Our countries are also intent on pursuing their cooperation in order together to take up the strategic challenge of space by strengthening the EU's threat-assessment capabilities and its ability to conduct military operations. So we are working on bringing together our national satellite reconnaissance capabilities: the French Helios II (optics and infrared) and German SAR-Lupe (radar). The French Helios II satellite was successfully put into orbit on 18 December 2004. The launch of the first German SAR-Lupe satellite is scheduled for February 2006. Joint use of the pooled system is scheduled to begin at the end of 2008./.