On 11 October 1988, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments on the establishment of the Franco-German brigade and emphasises the main weaknesses of this binational inter-arm unit.

On 19 May 1993, in Rome, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU), meeting as the WEU Council of Ministers, welcome the fact that all the Member States are currently deciding which of their military units and headquarters they are prepared to make available to WEU for various possible tasks. The Council particularly welcomes the designation of the European Corps (Eurocorps), the Multinational Division (Central) and the UK/Netherlands amphibious force as forces answerable to WEU.

On 2 June 1993, at the Franco-German Defence and Security Council in Beaune, France and Germany emphasise their determination to promote a European Defence and Security Identity within the European Union, while welcoming the decision to include the Eurocorps among the forces answerable to WEU (FAWEU).

On 14 July 1994, the Eurocorps takes part in the military parade along the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The Eurocorps was established on 22 May 1992 at the Franco-German Summit in La Rochelle, and was subsequently opened up to include other countries: Belgium (1993), Spain (1994) and Luxembourg (1996). The decision to include Eurocorps among the forces answerable to Western European Union (FAWEU) was confirmed at the meeting of the WEU Council of Ministers on 19 May 1993 in Rome.

The form and colour of the Eurocorps emblem symbolise the defence of Europe. The yellow stars stand for the the European Union, the sword for its armed might. The outline of the European continent represents both the limits of the European Union and Eurocorps’ commitment to peace and security on behalf of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance.

On 14 May 1995, the French daily newspaper Le Monde considers the various means of ensuring defence in Europe and describes the determination of the Member States of Western European Union (WEU) to strengthen the organisation’s operational capabilities.

Declaration on the establishment of the European Operational Rapid Force (Eurofor), adopted on 15 May 1995 in Lisbon by the French, Italian and Spanish Foreign and Defence Ministers. This multinational ground force answerable to Western European Union (FAWEU) can also be deployed under the aegis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in order to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance. An agreement reached on the same day provides for the participation of Portugal in this force, which is open to WEU Member States, from the moment of its establishment.

On 15 May 1995, on the margins of the meeting of the Western European Union (WEU) Council of Ministers in Lisbon, the Foreign and Defence Ministers of France, Italy, Portugal and Spain decide to establish two multinational forces, a ground force (Eurofor) and a maritime force (Euromarfor), which are answerable to WEU but may also be employed in the work of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in order to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance.

In summer 1995, in an article published in the journal Affari esteri, Susanna Agnelli, Italian Foreign Minister, considers the initiatives taken by the Member States of Western European Union (WEU) to make multinational formations, officially known as FAWEU (forces answerable to WEU), available to the organisation for its crisis management tasks. As Eurofor and Euromarfor are established, she welcomes the participation of Italy for the first time in such an initiative.

On 1 December 1995, the French daily newspaper Le Monde describes the establishment of Eurocorps, a multinational force comprising Belgian, French, German, Luxembourg and Spanish troops which is able to take action under the aegis of Western European Union (WEU) or NATO.

On 23 April 1996, on the flight deck of the Spanish aircraft carrier ‘Principe de Asturias' in Palma de Mallorca, the inauguration ceremony of the multinational naval force Euromarfor, which consists of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese naval forces, takes place.

On 3 June 1996, at its Ministerial Meeting in Berlin, the North Atlantic Council decides to adapt the Alliance’s structures so as to build a European Security and Defence Identity within NATO. In particular, the development of the concept of Combined Joint Task Forces (CJTF) should enable Europeans to make use of separable but not separate NATO military capabilities in Western European Union (WEU) operations.

On 28 November 1997, in Florence, the staff of the European Operational Rapid Force (Eurofor) is declared operational by the Chiefs of Staff of the armies of the four Member States (France, Italy, Portugal and Spain).

Le 2 janvier 1998, le quotidien français Le Monde décrit comment l'Eurocorps, corps d'armée européen composé de soldats allemands, belges, espagnols, français et luxembourgeois, s'organise pour remplir des missions dites de «gestion de crise», qui vont de l'action humanitaire à des opérations de rétablissement de la paix, pour le compte de l'Union de l'Europe occidentale (UEO).

On 24 November 1999, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Tageblatt reports on the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Western European Union (WEU) held the previous day in Luxembourg, and describes the recent initiatives taken to strengthen the crisis-management capabilities and improve the efficacy of Europe's military resources.

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, outlines the methods for recourse to the military units made available to WEU by the Member States, or forces answerable to WEU (FAWEU), while regretting the inherent difficulties in setting up multinational forces.

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, discusses the various operations led by the forces answerable to WEU (FAWEU), in particular Eurocorps, Eurofor and Euromarfor, whose actions prove their capability in crisis management.