Map showing the operations conducted by Western European Union (WEU) in Iraq and the Persian Gulf between 1987 and 1991 in the context of the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War.

Le 19 avril 1988, dans le contexte de la guerre Iran-Irak, les États membres de l’Union de l’Europe occidentale (UEO) demandent l’arrêt immédiat de toute opération de minage dans le golfe Persique ainsi que la cessation de tout acte hostile à la navigation dans les eaux internationales.

On 5 December 1989, the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) adopts Recommendation 475 on European security and events in the Near and Middle East.

In this interview, Charles Goerens, former member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and its President from 1987 to 1990, discusses WEU's recourse to Article VIII of the Modified Brussels Treaty, aimed at crises outside Europe, in 1987 in order to establish its first concerted action in the war between Iran and Iraq.

In 1988 and 1990, during the Iran–Iraq and Gulf Wars, WEU carries out its first joint actions, in particular with the naval minesweeping operation Cleansweep in the Persian Gulf.

In this interview, Charles Goerens, Luxembourg Minister for Defence from 1999 to 2004, former member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and its President from 1987 to 1990, discusses the political and operational dependence of Europeans on the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) during the Cleansweep naval minesweeping operation led by WEU in the Persian Gulf in the late 1980s.

In this interview, Colin Cameron, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), recalls the first joint action carried out in 1988 by WEU in the Persian Gulf: the Cleansweep minesweeping operation that aimed to secure free movement in international waters.

On 20 September 1990, a journalist from the daily newspaper Le Monde, on board the French frigate Dupleix, reports on the organisation of the maritime embargo against Iraq and particularly describes the role of the vessels of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU) involved in this supervision operation.

In a report presented to the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) on 7 November 1990, the Defence Committee assesses developments in the situation in the Persian Gulf after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and emphasises the importance of carrying through WEU actions to help the United Nations in the settlement of the Gulf crisis.

In the context of the Gulf War, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU), meeting in extraordinary session on 17 January 1991 in Paris, strongly condemns the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and reaffirms its determination to enhance its naval operations aimed at enforcing the embargo on goods imposed by the United Nations.

Rapport de la commission de Défense, présenté le 19 mai 1991 devant l'Assemblée de l'Union de l'Europe occidentale (UEO), sur les enseignements à tirer de la guerre du Golfe, et notamment des opérations menées par l'UEO dans ce contexte.

Robert Pontillon, President of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), and Armand De Decker, Chairman of the Liberal Group in the Assembly of WEU, as operations are carried out in 1991 in the context of the Gulf War.

Map showing the operations led by Western European Union (WEU) from 1992 to 2001 in connection with the crises and conflicts in the Balkans.

Meeting on 19 June 1992 in Bonn, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU) lays down the tasks of the organisation outside the application of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and Article V of the modified Brussels Treaty, as well as the means available for the planning and execution of these tasks, known as the ‘Petersberg Tasks'.

On 20 June 1992, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir considers the measures adopted the previous day in Petersberg by the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU). The article emphasises the operational role assigned to the organisation which, as the military arm of the European Union and European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance, is now responsible for leading crisis-management and peacekeeping missions.

In this interview, Willem van Eekelen, Netherlands Minister for Defence from 1986 to 1988 and Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) from 1989 to 1994, describes WEU's role as the ‘defence arm' of the European Union in carrying out the Petersberg tasks.

In the context of the Yugoslav conflict, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU), meeting in extraordinary session on 10 July 1992 in Helsinki, determines the efforts that WEU will deploy in the field of humanitarian aid and decides to launch naval operations in the Adriatic to monitor the embargo imposed by the United Nations on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

On 3 September 1992, the Standing Committee of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) adopts Recommendation 525 on WEU and the situation in former Yugoslavia.

Following the deterioration of the situation in the former Yugoslavia, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU), meeting on 20 November 1992 in Rome, reaffirms its determination to restore peace in this region. It confirms that the operations in the Adriatic, led in coordination with the Atlantic Alliance, will continue, and states that it is ready to offer assistance to the Danube riparian States to enforce the sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

Dans le contexte du conflit yougoslave, le Conseil des ministres de l’Union de l’Europe occidentale (UEO), réuni en session extraordinaire le 5 avril 1993 à Luxembourg, propose de fournir une assistance policière et douanière à la Bulgarie, la Hongrie et la Roumanie pour l'application des sanctions des Nations unies sur le Danube.

On 10 July 1992, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU) decides that WEU’s naval forces will participate in monitoring the embargo imposed by the United Nations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Adriatic (‘Sharp Vigilance’ and ‘Sharp Fence’ operations). In this context, the WEU and NATO Councils decide to implement a joint operation from June 1993 to June 1996, placed under a single command and known as Sharp Guard.

From June 1993 to June 1996, Operation Sharp Guard, led jointly by Western European Union (WEU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), results in the inspection of thousands of ships in the Adriatic in order to monitor the embargo imposed by the United Nations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In this interview, Willem van Eekelen, Netherlands Minister for Defence from 1986 to 1988 and Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) from 1989 to 1994, recalls the military operations led by WEU in the Adriatic during the embargo imposed by the United Nations on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, emphasising the practical approach and how its actions complemented those of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Between 1993 and 1996, in the context of the Yugoslav conflict and in coordination with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Western European Union (WEU) provides police and customs assistance to Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania for the enforcement of United Nations sanctions on the Danube.

On 26 June 1993, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reports on the police and customs operation led by Western European Union (WEU) on the Danube to aid the Bulgarian, Hungarian and Romanian authorities enforce the application of sanctions imposed by the United Nations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

From July 1994 to October 1996, in connection with the European Union’s mandate for the administration of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Western European Union (WEU) supplies a police contingent which is given the task of assisting the Bosnian and Croatian authorities in setting up a unified police force. This peacekeeping mission is the considered to be the first measure taken by WEU under Article J.4 of the Treaty on European Union, signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992.

CRISEX 95/96, the first exercise of Western European Union (WEU) undertaken in connection with the Petersberg Declaration, seeks to test WEU’s crisis-management mechanisms and procedures. The photo shows a video-conference between the Planning Unit in Brussels and the operation’s multinational HQ in Metz (Metz, Fort de Guise, December 1996).

In an article published in September 1995 in the NATO Review, José Cutileiro, Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU), describes the various measures adopted to strengthen WEU’s operational role and speculates on the future developments of the organisation following the European Union Intergovernmental Conference in 1996.

Réuni à Madrid le 14 novembre 1995, le Conseil des ministres de l’Union de l’Europe occidentale (UEO) analyse les risques et menaces potentiels pouvant peser sur la sécurité européenne et présente des propositions pour le développement futur de l'identité européenne de sécurité et de défense (IESD).

On 22 November 1996, for the first time, the Council of the European Union adopts a decision, based on Article J.4 (2) of the Treaty on European Union, which stipulates that use should be made of Western European Union (WEU) for the implementation of a Joint Action that has defence implications.

On 24 November 1999, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports on the debates between the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU) regarding the plan to establish a European rapid intervention force able to intervene in the shortest time possible.

Headquarters in Tirana of the Multinational Advisory Police Element (MAPE), sent by Western European Union (WEU) to Albania, where between 1997 and 2001 it was responsible for advising and training the Albanian authorities, particularly during the influx of Kosovar refugees in 1999.

Visit by José Cutileiro, Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU), to the headquarters of the Multinational Advisory Police Element (MAPE) in Tirana on 26 February 1998.

In its Bremen Declaration made on 10 and 11 May 1999, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU) reports on the missions led by WEU in Albania, Croatia and Kosovo.

On 22 and 23 November 1999, in order to assess Europe’s defence needs, the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU) conducts an audit of the assets and capabilities available for European crisis management operations and drafts recommendations for the strengthening of these capabilities.

In 1998 and 1999, in response to a request from the European Union (EU), the Satellite Centre of Western European Union (WEU) carries out a general security surveillance mission in Kosovo to gather information on the implementation of the Belgrade agreements signed on 15 and 16 October 1998, on the situation of refugees and displaced persons and on the related infrastructure. This mission is conducted in close coordination with the WEU Military Staff, which provide additional information for each of the Satellite Centre reports transmitted to the EU, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Under Article J.4 (new Article 17) of the Treaty on European Union, signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992, Western European Union (WEU) organises a Demining Assistance Mission to Croatia (WEUDAM) from May 1999 to November 2001, at the request of the European Union. This photograph shows the signing, on 22 April 1999, of a Memorandum of Understanding between José Cutileiro, WEU Secretary-General, Mate Granic, Croatian Foreign Minister, and Ambassador Rolf Hofstetter, German Permanent Representative (Presidency of the WEU Council).

On 2 March 2000, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit describes the differences of opinion between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Western European Union (WEU) during their joint crisis-management exercise, CMX-CRISEX 2000, conducted from 17 to 23 February with the participation of 30 countries. The aim of this exercise was to test the concepts and methods involved in managing WEU-led operations using NATO resources and capabilities.

Address given on 19 June 2002 by Klaus Bühler, President of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Petersberg Declaration.

In a report submitted on 3 December 2008 to the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), the Committee for Parliamentary and Public Relations analyses the attitudes to defence policy among the general public in Europe and examines the reasons for public opposition to international missions.

On 9 November 2005, at the Foreign Press Centre (CAPE) in Paris, Charles Goerens, Member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and Luxembourg Minister for Cooperation, Humanitarian Action and Defence from 1999 to 2004, presents the conclusions of his report entitled Peacekeeping in Sub-Saharan Africa: a practical approach, emphasising the problems associated with the strengthening of the African security architecture, the financing of peacekeeping operations on the African continent, the settlement of the current crises and the traffic of light small-calibre weapons.

On 6 December 2005, at the Foreign Press Centre (CAPE) in Paris, Charles Goerens, Member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and Luxembourg Minister for Cooperation, Humanitarian Action and Defence from 1999 to 2004, and Saïd Djinnit, former Algerian Ambassador and Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, present the aspects of African security and Euro-African cooperation in the field of crisis management in the continent.

On 4 June 2009, at the Foreign Press Centre (CAPE) in Paris, Françoise Hostalier, member of the Defence Committee of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), submits the report entitled The war in Afghanistan: what strategy for Europe? that she co-drafted with her colleague Jean-Pierre Kucheida from the Technological and Aerospace Committee.

In this interview, Colin Cameron, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), describes the various operations carried out by WEU between 1988 and 2001 in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans.

In this interview, Charles Goerens, Luxembourg Minister for Defence from 1999 to 2004, former member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and its President from 1987 to 1990, assesses the various operations led by WEU between 1988 and 2001 in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans.

In this interview, Willem van Eekelen, Netherlands Minister for Defence from 1986 to 1988 and Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) from 1989 to 1994, looks at the various military actions led by WEU, in particular in strategic areas where the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was unable to act.

In this interview, Willem van Eekelen, Netherlands Minister for Defence from 1986 to 1988 and Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) from 1989 to 1994, describes the interventions conducted by WEU in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular the police operation in Mostar from 1994 to 1996, as well as the reasons for the non-intervention in the African Great Lakes region.

In this interview, Colin Cameron, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), explains the reasons why WEU did not intervene in some conflicts, citing in particular the rule of unanimity in the WEU Council.

In this interview, Charles Goerens, Luxembourg Minister for Defence from 1999 to 2004, former member of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) and its President from 1987 to 1990, recalls the limits of the operations led by WEU, and particularly its non-intervention in the African Great Lakes region.

In this interview, Colin Cameron, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), explains the role played by the members of the Assembly in the operations led by WEU.

In this interview, Willem van Eekelen, Netherlands Minister for Defence from 1986 to 1988 and Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) from 1989 to 1994, answers the criticism levelled by some experts regarding the small scale of the military operations led by WEU.

In this interview, Colin Cameron, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), emphasises the importance of public opinion in WEU’s interventions, particularly in ensuring that WEU carries out effective communication.