social development of those regions. Such measures should have their aim both the completion of the internal market and a recognition of the regional reality to enable the outermost regions to achieve the average economic and social level of the Community. DECLARATION ON VOTING IN THE FIELD OF THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY The Conference agrees that, with regard to Council decisions requiring unanimity, Member States will, to the extent possible, avoid preventing a unanimous decision where a qualified majority exists in favour of that decision. DECLARATION ON PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY The Conference agrees that the division of work between the Political Committee and the Committee of Permanent Representatives will be examined at a later stage, as will the practical arrangements for merging the Political Co-operation Secretariat with the General Secretariat of the Council and for co-operation between the latter and the Commission. DECLARATION ON THE USE OF LANGUAGES IN THE FIELD OF THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY The Conference agrees that the use of languages shall be in accordance with the rules of the European Communities. For COREU communications, the current practice of European political co-operation will serve as a guide for the time being. All common foreign and security policy texts which are submitted to or adopted at meeting of the European Council and of the Council as well as all texts which are to be published are immediately and simultaneously translated into all the official Community languages. DECLARATION ON WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION The Conference notes the following declarations: I. DECLARATION by Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which are members of the Western European Union and also members of the European Union on THE ROLE OF THE WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION AND WITH THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE Introduction 1. WEU Member States agree on the need to develop a genuine European security and defence identity and a greater European responsibility on defence matters. This identity will be pursued through a gradual process involving successive phases. WEU will form an integral part of the process of the development of the European Union and will enhance its contribution to solidarity within the Atlantic Alliance. WEU Member States agree to strengthen the role of WEU, in the longer term perspective of a common defence, compatible with that of the Atlantic Alliance. 2. WEU will be developed as the defence component of the European Union and as a means to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance. To this end, it will formulate common European defence policy and carry forward its concrete implementation through the further development of its own operational role.