Europe to advance military capabilities

BRUSSELS, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- European Union defense ministers Monday agreed to a framework on improving Europe's military capabilities.

The European defense ministers met in Brussels Monday for the European Defense Agency's Steering Board meeting. Officials say the meeting was a follow-up to the informal EU defense ministers' discussions held in October, the EDA reported.

The defense ministers agreed to advance military initiatives including strengthening defense of European airspace, establishing a plan to integrate new unmanned aerial vehicle technologies, strengthening security for European coastal waters and building a fleet of new helicopters, among other plans, the European Defense Agency reported.

"We are seeing today that the European Defense Agency can very quickly translate political intentions into concrete proposals," Javier Solana, head of the EDA, said in a statement.

"These programs will create tangible European capabilities and improve the capacity for crisis management operations."