Fuente: © European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/

EU: A more effective EU foreign policy in prospect, but more parliamentary scrutiny needed

/noticias.info/ The Foreign Affairs Committee highlighted on Tuesday the increased effectiveness the Lisbon Treaty could give to the EU's foreign policy, while also pointing to the need for increased parliamentary scrutiny and democratic legitimacy in the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Security and Defence Policy. The Committee's stance is set out in two own initiative reports.

The report by Committee Chairman Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP-ED, PL) on the Council's 2006 Annual Report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy points out that "the future office of High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission will derive its legitimacy directly from the European Parliement." It also stresses the need for "transparency and democratic input" into the process of setting up the planned European External Action Service, and calls for a mechanism to be set up to provide confidential information to select Foreign Affairs Committee Members.

Energy security and the EU's neighbourhood high on the agenda

The report considers that "stability in the Western Balkans should be the top priority for the EU in 2008." It says the "dialogue with Serbia should be intensified" to take concrete steps, for example on visa liberalisation, and considers that the EU should "initiate appropriate processes in order to avoid Serbia's isolation." Committee Members also said the "EULEX mission in Kosovo must safeguard the interests of national minorities," and voice their concern at the stalemate in transferring responsibilities from UNMIK to EULEX in Kosovo.

The report "is of the view that the importance of the foreign policy dimensions of energy security [...] will continue increasing," and calls for diversification of supply, increase in energy efficiency and EU solidarity, while also deploring "the uncoordinated signing of bilateral energy agreements by Member States." In addition, Members note that strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy should be a "main objective for 2008," especially in three key regional cooperation areas: the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, the latter two of which should be "assured by finding new organisational structures for regional cooperation."

Russia and China

The Committee "considers the review in 2008 by the Union of its relations with Russia as very important," and asks Member States to "coordinate relations with the Russian Federation on the basis of the Union's common interests."The report recommends that "political and economic relations with China be deepened in 2008, on condition that substantial progress be made in the field of democracy and human rights, and that China heed the EU's grave concerns about its conduct in Tibet."

European Security and Defence Policy

Helmut Kuhne's (PES, DE) report on the implementation of the European Security Strategy (ESS) and the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) calls on the High Representative to "assess in a White Paper the progress made, and any shortcomings, in the implementation of the ESS since 2003," and to "include in that White Paper proposals for improving and complementing the ESS."

The Committee adds that a future assessment of the ESS "has to be carried out with greater democratic accountability and therefore be made in close consultation" with the Parliament. Committee Members also stressed the need to "have a European Parliament position available before an ESDP mission," to add democratic legitimacy to EU military operations.

Battle Groups, EUROCORPS, a Peace Corps and a Human Security Response Force

The report deplores the fact that partly due to "narrowly defined terms of deployment," the Battle Group concept has "not solved the force generation problem for concrete operations." It therefore calls for urgent clarification of the Battle Group concept. The Committee "proposes to place EUROCORPS as a standing force under EU command and invites all Member States to contribute to it."

In addition, Committee Members called on the Council and Commission to "establish an EU Civil Peace Corps for crisis management and conflict prevention." Finally, although most references to the concept of human security in the report were voted down, the Committee still asked the Council to "examine options for the setting up of an integrated civil-military 'Human Security Response Force' to carry out human security operations."

Non-proliferation and weapons exports

The report reiterates the Parliament's long-standing position that it "finds it embarrassing that, despite the fact that the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2008, it is not yet legally binding, and uncontrolled arms exports from EU Member States seem to be continuing without much hindrance."

Members also called for Europe to be made a "nuclear-weapon-free zone," and called for a "global convention banning nuclear weapons." With regard to the specific case of Iran, the report "reaffirms that the proliferation risks attaching to the Iranian nuclear programme remain a source of serious concern to the EU and the international community," and calls "on the US to join the EU-3 in direct negotiations with Iran. notas_de_prensa_archivo