Will France's possible movement towards NATO have a real impact on the defence Europe?
I think that a normalization of France's relations with NATO will make it easier to achieve progress with European defence. With this situation of having ''one foot in and one foot out,'' there is always the suspicion of France's having a hidden agenda. If it takes its place at the same level as the rest, numerous anxieties and preconceptions will be defused.

Does there need to be political coordination between the two organizations?
I consider the permanent presence of an EU official within NATO at the decision-making and political level - and vice versa - inadvisable, because it would result in a loss of autonomy. However, there is a permanent unit of the European staff at Shape, and vice versa. They must be able to work as well as possible.

Where are NATO and the EU complementary?
From the military viewpoint, a very high degree of coordination is essential. First, because 21 countries belong to both organizations and the right hand must not be unaware of what the left hand is doing. There are several possible forms of cooperation. As in Afghanistan now, NATO can have a military responsibility, and the EU a civilian responsibility (policing, judicial missions...) But there is another approach that could be envisaged. In agreement with the United States, and depending on the crisis concerned, it would be possible to choose the most suitable kind of organization. Otherwise there is no point in equipping the EU with military capabilities. The EU's strength is that it possesses resources that enable it to adopt a comprehensive approach, both military and civilian.

Will the defence Europe really exist once there is a real headquarters?
It must be admitted that there is at present no agreement among member states on the EU's having a permanent planning and operational capability. Some countries such as France are in favour of it; others, such as Britain - but not only Britain - believe that it would cause unnecessary duplication with Shape. Though the present system for using NATO resources works - as in Bosnia - a permanent European capability is desirable.

The French defence minister recently criticized the defence Europe, when he spoke about a system that does not yet exist.
Herve Morin was probably referring to the fact that most Europeans are unaware of it: the EU has adopted the objective of preventing and managing crises, not of guaranteeing collective defence. NATO does this very well, and this is its role. Europe has made major progress recently, for instance by establishing a chain of command for civilian operations (police, justice...) closely linked to the military chain of command. 

Will the revised treaty permit substantial progress on European defence?
The elimination of barriers between the Commission and the Council's General Secretary will constitute real progress. We will then have a single service for external action. Furthermore the treaty will permit ''structured cooperation'' in the defence field among the most advanced countries.