Brussels, 7 February 2002: The Presidential Committee of the Assembly of WEU – the interim European Security and Defence Assembly – has approved the Assembly’s programme of work for the first half of 2002 which will focus on a wide range of topics concerning the EU’s emerging ESDP. 
 
The Rapporteurs are parliamentarians from WEU and EU member states as well as NATO and EU candidate countries. The reports will be submitted to the next plenary session (3-5 June 2002 in Paris). WEU and EU Council representatives welcomed the range of subjects to be covered in the reports. Spain’s Defence Minister, Frederico Trillo, will take part in an Assembly colloquy on how to improve military capabilities that is to be held on 5 and 6 March in Madrid 
(see here for details). 
 
There will also be a report on EU-US security relations, a subject of the greatest relevance in view of the events in Afghanistan and the differing opinions on further action in the fight against terrorism. 
 
Contribution to the Convention on the future of Europe: 
 
The former Prime Minister of Belgium, Mark Eyskens, is the Rapporteur for the Assembly’s initial contribution to the Convention on the future of Europe. 
 
The full list of reports for the Assembly’s plenary session in June is: 
 
• European military capabilities in the context of the fight against international terrorism (Rapporteur: Mr John Wilkinson, United Kingdom, Federated Group) 
• Equipping our forces for Europe’s security and defence - shortcomings and priorities (Rapporteur: Mr Agustin Díaz de Mera, Spain, Federated Group) following the colloquy on 5 and 6 March in Madrid 
• The new challenges facing European intelligence (Rapporteur: Mr Georges Lemoine, France, Socialist Group) 
• Developing a European space observation capability to meet Europe’s security requirements (Rapporteur: Mr Oussama Cherribi, Netherlands, Liberal Group) 
• Non-EU European countries and European defence – reply to the annual report of the Council (Rapporteur: Mr Jean-Pierre Masseret, France, Socialist Group; co-Rapporteur: Ms Tayyibe Gülek, Turkey) 
• The trend in European public opinion on security and defence in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks (Rapporteur: Mr Giovanni Crema, Italy, Socialist Group) 
• The parliamentary dimension in the new European security and defence architecture – replies to parliamentary questions tabled in WEU countries (Rapporteur: Mr Francisco Arnau Navarro, Spain, Socialist Group; co-Rapporteur: Mr Vasilescu, Romania) 
• New challenges for Euro-American security cooperation (Rapporteur: Mr Jan Dirk Blaauw, Netherlands, Liberal Group) 
• Relations between Europe and the southern Mediterranean (Rapporteur: Mr Pedro Roseta, Portugal, Federated Group) 
• Monitoring international discussions on arms control and disarmament (Rapporteur: Mr Lluis Maria de Puig, Spain, Socialist Group) 
• The role of national parliaments in the ESDP - the Assembly’s contribution to the Convention (Rapporteur: Mr Mark Eyskens, Belgium, Federated Group)