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2217th Council meeting
- GENERAL AFFAIRS -
Brussels, 15 November 1999
gac1511.rtf
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PREPARATION OF THE HELSINKI EUROPEAN COUNCIL
- EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY


 


The General Affairs Council, with the participation of Defence Ministers, discussed the follow-up to the Cologne conclusions on strengthening the ESDP, with a view to guiding the Presidency in the preparation of its progress report to the Helsinki European Council.  Work covered both military and non-military aspects of crisis management.  The Presidency will submit to the European Council two reports which are complementary and mutually reinforcing and which will underline both the ability of the Union to have recourse to the whole range of political, economic, humanitarian and military instruments and its determination to enhance the effectiveness of its instruments.

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EUROPEAN ARMAMENTS POLICY

The Council took note of the work accomplished in the field of European armaments policy. It stressed the importance of cooperation in this field, in the framework of the strengthening of the Common European Policy on Security and Defence, and asked its competent bodies to pursue their work, including the possibility of establishing a common position in the light of future developments in the field of European Defence and Security policy. 

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WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION (WEU)

Authorisation for the appointment of Mr Javier SOLANA as Secretary General of the WEU 

The Council, taking into account Opinion n° 6/99 of 8 November 1999 of the Political Committee, decided that Mr Javier SOLANA MADARIAGA, Secretary General/High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Council of the European Union, is authorised to accept the office and perform the duties of Secretary General of the WEU, in addition to his duties as Secretary General/High Representative.

It should be noted that Mr Javier SOLANA is expected to be appointed shortly as Secretary General of the WEU and to take up his duties on 25 November 1999 after expiration of the mandate of the current Secretary General, Mr José CUTILEIRO.