The EU troika consists of the current Presidency, now held by Austria, the future Presidency, Finland, and EU’s High Representative for defence and security matters, Javier Solana. When the EU Defence Ministers have concluded their meeting, the troika invites five countries for briefing and consultation on matters of current interest. These five countries are Norway, Turkey and Iceland, all existing members of NATO, together with Croatia and Macedonia which have the status of candidate countries for EU membership.

“The Government is pursuing an active European policy and it is important that Norway should be kept thoroughly informed as to what is happening in all areas of EU policy, including that of defence and security. We maintain close cooperation with the EU and the meetings with the troika provide us with a good opportunity not only to be updated but also to make known Norway’s views and assessments,” says Defence Minister Strøm-Erichsen.

At today’s meeting the Norwegian Secretary of State will be briefed on the activities of the EDA with which Norway, at present the only non-member of the EU, has concluded a collaborative agreement. The briefing will also cover a report of progress regarding establishment of the EU’s battlegroups, within which Norway will participate in a Swedish-led Nordic group. We are most interested in ensuring that this group will be undertaking missions on behalf of the UN and that Norway will be contributing to missions which have a UN mandate. Ms Strøm-Erichsen will also receive a status report for EUFOR-ALTHEA, the EU’s military operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in which 17 Norwegian personnel are taking part.

“I would like to emphasise that NATO and the EU should complement each other, rather than setting up parallel and competing structures, in their work for European and global security. Norway wishes to strengthen the UN and the Government has, as has the EU, a special focus on Africa. We would wish to contribute to an eventual UN force in Darfur,” adds the Defence Minister.

Earlier today the Norwegian Defence Minister met colleagues from other social democrat and socialist parties in the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Brussels. This was the first occasion on which the defence ministers from the PES had met in this way and it was agreed that the various member parties should seek closer contact on matters of current interest in the field of defence and security policy.