Paris, 3 December 2002 – The WEU, EU and NATO European states currently deploy some 50 000 troops in peacekeeping missions on all continents. According to a report submitted to the Assembly on Wednesday by Mr Kurt Palis, such missions are frequently not confined to the military sphere.

In his report on behalf of the Defence Committee, Mr Palis (Germany, Soc.) notes that participation by European national armed forces in crisis management is something that is now taken for granted. “The use of military means of crisis management has made a major contribution to resolving (…) conflicts” but can “only be a solution for the short and medium term”, which must give way to “realistic economic and social measures”.

The report highlights the risk of troops being committed to longer-term missions that include civilian tasks for which they have not been trained. “The forces of European countries involved in such missions must not be transformed into global ‘firemen’ or ‘policemen’”, Mr Palis said, and warned that it was important to preserve combat capabilities specific to the armed forces and strike a balance between them and those required in a peacekeeping environment.

In its recommendation, the Assembly urges the WEU Council of Ministers to “include on its agenda the question of setting up the machinery for civil and military crisis management in cooperation with the competent authorities of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE”.

The full text of the Assembly’s recommendation and report can be downloaded from the Assembly’s website at: