Paris, 18 June 2001 – Swedish Defence Minister Björn Von Sydow said Monday that the European Union (EU) has made progress in both civilian and military crisis management during the current Swedish EU presidency. 
 
Addressing the Assembly, Mr. Von Sydow noted that at civilian level, “special priority has been given to the objective of ensuring that EU states can deploy up to 5,000 police officers in international efforts by 2003.”  A decision on making the EU’s crisis management capabilities operational as quickly as possible will be taken at the Laeken EU summit in December at the latest, he said. Considerable progress has already been achieved in the five main areas. They are:   
 
- to develop and exercise the crisis management structures and procedures;   
- to present a policy and a programme for the EU’s exercise activities;   
- to follow up last year’s capabilities commitment conference and to present a mechanism for development of military capacity or a review mechanism;   
- to develop cooperation between the EU and NATO; and   
- to develop cooperation between the EU and third countries.   
 
Progress has also been achieved in EU-NATO cooperation in the Western Balkans, Mr. Von Sydow said. “The EU and NATO have conducted an intensive dialogue with parties in FYROM and southern Serbia, and are making targeted efforts to reduce tensions in the region in the long term,” he said. “On a proposal from the Presidency, the EU has dispatched 30 unarmed observers from the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) to the Presevo valley in southern Serbia.”   
 
The EU’s potential in the region lies in the broad range of instruments at its disposal, he said. The EU should draw on “the extensive experience gained from WEU-led operations like the WEU Demining Assistance Mission (WEUDAM) for Croatia and the Multinational Advisory Police Element (MAPE). “ In the case of MAPE, its presence in Albania has supported the efforts of the international community to restore security and stability in the region.