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Future development of the European Union's common military capability must focus on assembling effective armed forces for rapid deployment in regional crises, Nato's next secretary general will say today.
Lord Robertson, the UK defence secretary who takes over at Nato next month, will tell a conference that EU member states should set themselves goals to ensure they can contribute usefully towards the common military capability.
His statement may be controversial with the German government, because it has only just embarked on a strategic defence review.
The UK government used an Anglo-Italian summit in July to propose establishment of convergence criteria to ensure modernisation of Europe's armed forces.
However, a debate has begun over whether the criteria should set targets on defence spending for EU member states, or alternatively establish what each can contribute to the common military capability.
Lord Robertson will today signal that the UK wants the criteria to focus primarily on ensuring the EU has the armed forces, equipment and support services necessary for rapid deployment in a regional crisis.
"We want to establish performance goals both on a collective European basis and on an individual national basis," he will tell a conference in London.
EU heads of government agreed in June that the common military capability could be used in humanitarian, peacekeeping and crisis management situations.
Lord Robertson will highlight how the EU was unable to contribute adequately to Nato during the Kosovo conflict. EU member states flew only a third of the aircraft sorties, and one fifth of the strike sorties. The US dominated the Nato operation.
He will say: "Too many European armed forces are still structured to meet the requirements of the cold war rather than ... of the next millennium."