Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-22-Speech-3-106"
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"en.20031022.5.3-106"2
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"Mr President, there is no doubt that Mr Brok, in his report, has very carefully summarised the opinion of the majority in this House as regards the problem of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. I just have to say something that will surprise nobody, that being that my group is not numbered among that majority. I would like to clarify, though, that I do think it necessary for the European Union to really pursue a common foreign policy – in parts, indeed, a foreign policy along Community lines. Without one, as the example adduced by Mr Andreasen shows, we will find it difficult or impossible to get the world to give us a hearing.
I would like to stress that one good thing about this report, in my view, is that it defines as a real alternative a new approach to security and puts the emphasis on multilateralism. Its actual tendency, though, does not have the rigour that it needs to distinguish itself from something that I regard as giving cause for concern. I would like to highlight two examples. Firstly, I regret the committee’s inability to tackle the problem of the maintenance, defence and further development of the weapons monitoring and disarmament system. How are we to put a stop to the continuing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction if our own draft constitution obliges us to build up our own military capacities or potential, the like of which is to be found in no constitution in the world and never has been? We are, in effect, committing ourselves to rearmament instead of setting ourselves targets for disarmament. The American attitude towards the control of biological and chemical weapons, the Test Ban Treaty and their threat to withdraw from the Outer Space Treaty make this a very live issue.
The second problem is that the report explicitly highlights the need to build up military capabilities, despite the European concentration on civil approaches to conflict prevention. In Europe, we can currently see positive examples of how conflicts have not escalated into warfare, one example being the Caucasus. Why not analyse these experiences and apply them generally? That we are at last making a start on a serious debate about the European Union’s security strategy is something that I very much welcome, but it is lamentable that this debate is still, on the whole, an internal affair in which the general public are not involved. I call upon the Council and the Commission to involve Parliament in the debate more than it has been so far, rather than confronting us with ready-made concepts."@en1
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