EU Defense Ministers Plan New Paramilitary Force

Increasingly, the European Union has been called upon to help with peacekeeping and law enforcement in post-conflict regions like the Balkans. In December, NATO will hand over command of the 7,000 strong peacekeeping force in Bosnia to the EU.

To help handle such undertakings, EU defense ministers -- meeting in the Dutch seaside resort town on Friday --will announce the creation of a paramilitary force modeled on the French gendarmes or the Italian carabinieri.

Unlike rapid reaction forces, which the EU is still in the process of putting together, the proposed gendarmes will not see active duty in conflict zones like Iraq. Instead, they'll concentrate on imposing law and order in post-conflict zones.

Germany not to participate

German Defense Minister Peter Struck, who will also attend Friday's meeting, said his country would not contribute to the force. "We have absolutely no plans to join this force," Struck told the German television station WDR on Thursday.

Struck pointed to his country's WWII history, which he says makes it difficult for Germany to create military-style forces responsible for maintaining domestic law and order in other countries.

Five other countries -- France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands -- have already publicly stated their support for the project. In addition to Germany, Poland and Belgium have not agreed to contribute troops. Still, both have reserved the right to participate at a later date.

Yet another EU defense plan

The plan calls for the creation of an 800-strong force that can be deployed within 30 days by 2005. The idea was initially proposed last September by French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who said Europe needed a better organized force to deal with post-conflict security.

"In all crises one notices that the purely military phase is systematically followed by a civilian-military phase, where the aspect of maintaining order becomes increasingly important," said Alliot-Marie. She, no doubt, has been paying attention to the situation in Iraq.

The gendarme force is the latest in a series initiatives related to EU defense matters. Many such proposals invariably prove controversial, with some arguing for more Independent EU capabilities, while others fear the development of a so-called "euro army" will antagonize the US and duplicate -- at great expense -- the resources of NATO.