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, explains the doctrine supported by Alfred Cahen, WEU Secretary-General from 1985 to 1989, according to which only countries that are Member States of both the European Communities and the Atlantic Alliance can accede to 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, discusses the negotiations launched in the late 1980s which led to the accession of Spain and Portugal to WEU on 27 March 1990, as well as the problems and discussions raised at the time by the case of Greece.

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 relaxation of the ‘Cahen Doctrine’ following the Maastricht and Kirchberg Declarations made in 1991 and 1994 by the WEU Council of Ministers, which created the statuses of Associate Member, Observer and Associate Partner of WEU.