EU ministers to meet on rapid reaction force strength

EU defence and foreign ministers meet in Brussels today to set out national contributions to the EU's planned 60,000-strong rapid reaction force.

But, although the Capabilities Commitment Conference is expected to come up with sufficient numbers of soldiers to have such a capability by 2003, the meeting is expected to reflect serious EU deficiencies in areas such as heavy-lift aircraft, satellite surveillance and precision-guided munitions.

Ireland will commit just over 850 soldiers, with Britain, Germany and France each coming up with between 12,000 and 13,5000. Total pledges so far amount to some 66,000 of the 120,000 necessary to provide for rotation of soldiers in any extended operation.

Non-EU countries like Turkey and Norway are also expected to make substantial contributions.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers were yesterday attempting to narrow differences between member-states on EU treaty reform ahead of the Nice summit on December 7th.

Sources say Ireland's dogged refusal to consider any move to EU majority voting on taxation issues is leading to frustration in the Commission and a loss of influence among other memberstates.

Taxation is among the most controversial issues still outstanding in the Inter-Governmental Conference discussions ahead of the Nice summit, and ministers yesterday considered a French Presidency text which, senior sources in the Commission insist, meets all Irish concerns.

It specifically restricts the move to majority voting to questions related to indirect tax rates, such as VAT and excise duty, to double-taxation problems, and to the fight against fraud.

Ireland's concern has been that any loss of the veto over taxation might open the door at a future stage to attempts to erode its generous corporate taxation regime under the guise of "harmonisation".

With Britain, the Irish have been the most reluctant to move on an issue which many see as important to the efficient functioning of the single market.

An Irish spokeswoman said last night that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, was not currently willing to indicate any flexibility on key issues of Irish concern such as taxation or the right of each member-state to retain a commissioner.

A French spokesman said, however, that there appeared to be a groundswell in favour of accepting at Nice a future ceiling on the number of commissioners, on condition that such positions were shared by automatic rotation between member-states on an equal basis.

But the French European Affairs Minister, Mr Pierre Moscovici, was also criticised by some ministers from small countries for not sufficiently reflecting their opposition to the loss of their commissioner in the French paper.

Ireland is opposed to any reference at Nice to a future ceiling.

Mr Moscovici later said the lack of movement on majority voting was "somewhat preoccupying" and that little progress had been made yesterday.

In their discussions on reweighting of votes in the Council of Ministers, profound differences still exist between the small and large states, with three very different options sharing roughly similar level of support.

The foreign ministers continue to meet today at the General Affairs Council where they will this afternoon approve the decisions taken by defence ministers at the morning's conference on the pledging of soldiers.

They are also due to put the finishing touches to the declaration due to be issued by Friday's Balkans conference in Zagreb.