(DEAUVILLE) - French Defence Minister Herve Morin welcomed Thursday progress made on building the European Union's military capabilities, saying that advances had been made on achieving France's goals.

"We have made progress on subjects like European military capabilities and the organisation of European defences," he said, as he wrapped up an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Deauville, northern France.

"Everything that we have asked for is underway," he said.

France, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, is expected in April to announce its intent to return fully into the NATO military alliance, but it has made the move conditional on Europe's defence capacities being strengthened.

France was a founder member of NATO, but then president Charles de Gaulle pulled out of the alliance's integrated military command in 1966.

The split developed over many years, as successive French governments became increasingly dissatisfied with what they perceived as Anglo-American domination of the command structure and insufficient French influence.

France now wants to ensure that Europe can stand alone if it must.

During their talks, the ministers commited to filling key military shortfalls, like a lack of transport aircraft and helicopters, better troop protection and the ability to gather intelligence, including by satellite.

The progress made is to be formalised when the ministers next meet in Brussels on November 10, and Morin said that by the EU summit in mid-December France "will have succeeded on just about everything it has raised".

However one of France's military goals -- the setting up of a real EU military headquarters in Brussels -- is still blocked by Britain, although Morin said he was convinced that London would finally endorse the plan.

The EU currently has five headquarters from which to run its security and stabilisation operations, but Britain is keen not to go too far and double up on work being done by the NATO military alliance.

The EU aims, by 2018, to be able to deploy some 60,000 troops with air and naval support within 60 days, and for the mission to remain in operation for a year, although EU officials concede the bar may have been set too high.

Informal meeting of EU defence ministers

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