Vol. 557 No. 2
89 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the problems raised for the EU's Rapid Reaction Force by the announcement of NATO's plans to form its own Rapid Reaction Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20468/02]
The EU is continuing to work towards achievement of the headline goal, otherwise referred to as the Rapid Reaction Force, which provides that the Union should have available by 2003, a pool of personnel to undertake a range of humanitarian and crisis management tasks. Progress in this area, together with the development of civilian crisis management capabilities, will be reviewed at the next meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18-19 November 2002.
Plans for a so-called NATO Rapid Reaction Force, which were revealed at an informal meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Warsaw in late September, are a matter for the members of NATO. The proposals in question remain under consideration within NATO and I anticipate that further details will emerge in due course, including at the NATO Summit in Prague on 21 November 2002. The proposals are not seen as creating a problem for the development of the EU's role in the humanitarian and crisis management area.
