Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-29-Speech-4-035"
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"en.20040129.1.4-035"2
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Mr President, this morning’s debate has made clear the Parliament’s strong interest in enhancing the European Union’s engagement with the United Nations. The Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, and in particular the rapporteur, Mr Laschet, are to be commended on the production of this report. I fully subscribe to the statement in the report that 'the success of global governance, in the face of the challenges posed by growing globalisation and interdependence, can only be based on an effective and fair multilateral system unequivocally anchored in the United Nations'.
The proposal that the presidency inform the Parliament of the content of the EU Priorities for each UN General Assembly session seems an excellent idea, and the Council will act on this.
The proposal for exchanges of views between high-level UN officials and the committees of the Parliament is also to be commended.
The question of EU representation at the United Nations will certainly need to be addressed in the light of the final outcome of the negotiations on the Constitution, which will confer a legal personality on the European Union. Some of the issues raised are much more complex, and merit careful consideration.
I wish to commend the ambition of the report for the range of proposals that it contains concerning the activity of the Parliament in relation to the various funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations. No doubt this is work that the committee concerned and the Parliament will advance over time.
I have also noted carefully what was said regarding the representation of the EU in the Security Council. Clearly, this is not an issue that can be easily resolved at the moment. It must be kept under review as our common policies develop over time. Likewise, the issue of the reform of the Security Council is not one that can be easily resolved. The High-Level Panel appointed by the Secretary-General will address this question, among others. We are all aware of the difficulties and problems encountered by advocates of institutional reform in the UN. The necessary consensus remains difficult to develop. This, however, must not deflect us from the essential task of making the Security Council, and the multilateral system as a whole, more effective in meeting the challenges of today’s world.
Again, let me reiterate my appreciation of this initiative. It has provided a stimulus for the ongoing discussion of the EU’s support for the UN and the Parliament’s role in that regard. I can assure you that the Council is firmly aware of the issues that are addressed in it, and of the issues that have been raised here today.
The Council is firmly and formally committed to effective multilateralism in its external action. A rules-based international order with the United Nations at its heart is a central element of the European Security Strategy, which the European Council adopted in December 2003.
I can assure you that Council, under the Irish presidency, is determined to work towards a more effective collective response to today’s threats. We are all keenly aware that terrorism and weapons of mass destruction are threats that present serious challenges, but global stability is also threatened by endemic poverty and lack of development, as well as the scourge of HIV/Aids and other infectious diseases. These are hugely destabilising factors that will literally destroy the prospects of many countries if they are not effectively remedied.
Yesterday I told Secretary-General Annan that, in implementing the European Security Strategy, the European Union will work particularly closely with the UN to enhance mutual cooperation on conflict prevention and crisis management. We agreed that we would work closely on devising better planning and best-practice models for conflict prevention and post-conflict peace building. We will base this on both our organisations' experiences in these policy areas. This will involve working together on the practical implementation of the Joint Declaration on EU-UN Cooperation in Crisis Management signed late in 2003. We also discussed how best to build on the successful deployment in 2003 of Operation Artemis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Before this presidency ends we are aiming to have up to 1500 military personnel available to be deployed as an EU rapid reaction capability at the disposal of the Secretary-General for crisis management operations. Mr Annan is very supportive of this valuable resource becoming available as soon as possible.
I assured the Secretary-General that the European Union was fully behind his efforts to find – to use his words – a credible and convincing collective answer to the challenges of our time. The Union will therefore support the work of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. I believe that the European Union can make an important contribution to this highly relevant debate. The presidency appreciates the enthusiastic support of the Commission in this endeavour and the work presently under way. The Secretary-General has made clear his view that any changes must be a means to an end, not an end in themselves. The United Nations must show, in practical and concrete ways, that it is capable of fulfilling the first purpose laid down in the Charter, which is to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace. Developing our rapid reaction capability in the coming months will be a demonstration of this Union's willingness to contribute and to assist the UN in this important area of activity.
Today’s debate is timely. Given the challenges to the multilateral system that Secretary-General Annan has placed in the spotlight in such a determined way – including last Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos – the central thrust of this report, which reaffirms support for a strong, reformed UN at the centre of the multilateral system, is very welcome. This confirms that the Secretary-General, the Council, and the Commission have the support of the people’s representatives in Parliament in this endeavour.
The report clearly articulates the need for the European Union to 'punch its weight' at the United Nations. European Union Member States are, collectively, major financial contributors to the United Nations, contributing almost 40% of its budget. The European Union will, as the report notes, represent some 450 million people from 1 May 2004. The Council agrees fully that the EU needs to develop a commensurate political profile.
The general thrust of the report strengthens the Council in its engagement with the United Nations. I wish to assure you that one of the aims of the Irish presidency is to make the EU more focused, more flexible and more responsive at the United Nations. I am determined that we will devote more effort to engaging with our international partners on these important questions, in the interests of both the UN and the EU. Effective multilateralism will be a subject of discussion at all our summits with strategic partners during this presidency.
Today’s discussion has highlighted a number of varied and interesting points which reflect the scope, detail and ambition of the report. We have read and heard many proposals, some of which can be endorsed immediately. Some others, it would be fair to say, will need to be discussed over time."@en1
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