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Foreign ministers set to discuss implications of EU developments in Nice Decisions taken by EU leaders meeting in Nice at the weekend, concerning implementing the European Union's goal of establishing a rapid reaction force by 2003, will be one of the leading topics for discussion at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council - NATO's supreme decision-making body - on Thursday morning, 14 December, when Allied foreign ministers come to Brussels for their six-monthly meetings at NATO headquarters. While it is unlikely that there will have been time to formulate concrete responses by then, ministers will be considering progress made in ad hoc EU-NATO working groups, which have been meeting since the summer to define arrangements between NATO and the European Union, which would allow NATO to support EU-led crisis management operations with assets and capabilities in circumstances where the Alliance as a whole is not engaged. Another key focus of ministers' discussions will be a review of the situation in the Balkans and of the contribution of NATO-led peacekeeping forces to building long-term security in the region. Ministers will confirm last week's decision by defence ministers to maintain the present troop levels of the Stabilisation Force, SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the Kosovo Force, KFOR. Options for possible reductions in troop numbers will be considered in spring 2001. Currently, 45,500 troops from 39 NATO and Partner countries are deployed under SFOR's command and a further 20,850 from 34 countries under KFOR. Following the Council meeting, Allied foreign ministers will join their Ukrainian counterpart, Anatoly Zlenko, for a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission on Thursday afternoon. Ministers will take stock of the successful cooperation that is building up between NATO and Ukraine, both in the military and non-military aspects of the Partnership for Peace programme and in the day-to-day operations of Balkan peacekeeping efforts. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) meeting of foreign ministers from 46 NATO and Partner countries will take place on Friday, 15 December. Ministers will exchange views on the cooperation and confidence-building within the EAPC framework, which is being strengthened and is, in particular, increasingly recognised as having a special role to play in facilitating regional cooperation. They will also review progress in making the Partnership for Peace more operational, following up on initiatives taken at the Washington summit in April 1999. Finally, late on Friday afternoon, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will join Allied ministers for a meeting of the Permanent Joint Council, which will focus on the substantial progress made over the past year, since the resumption of Russia-NATO cooperation in this forum.