Vol. 500 No. 5
82 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, with the establish ment of the policing, planning and early warning unit as provided in the Amsterdam Treaty; the input Ireland has in the European Union secretariat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4506/99]
The Treaty of Amsterdam provides for the establishment of the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit – PPEWU – as one of the steps to enhance the effectiveness of the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. It is hoped that the treaty will enter into force by May or June. The new unit will be intended to provide the Presidency and the Council with timely assessments of situations and to produce policy option papers to be presented by the Presidency to the Council as a contribution to policy formulation. Ireland has been involved in the initial discussions on the preparations for the establishment of the unit. More detailed discussions are expected to take place shortly. It is expected that the unit will be staffed by officials on secondment from member states, the Commission, the Council Secretariat and the Western European Union Secretariat.
