Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-16-Speech-3-300"
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".
Commissioner, representatives of the Council and the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, this evening’s debates about combating the threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction confirm the European Parliament’s understanding of the need to actively participate in solving the greatest threat to contemporary civilisation. It has to be said that the drafting of the report was politically and technically complicated, taking into account the global character and special features of the threats caused by weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However, the European Parliament has been able to tackle the complexity of this issue.
In this connection, as rapporteur, I would like to express my gratitude both to my colleagues in Parliament and also to the specialists in the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Personal Representative and her office, as well as to the Commission’s specialists for their active and constructive collaboration in drafting the report over a period of many months.
In my view, the most important conclusion is the concern about the fact that, unfortunately, among the international organisations and Great Powers involved there is no common understanding or agreed action with regard to restricting the proliferation of WMD and the materials and technologies connected with them. This is worrying because the most influential international organisations and states acknowledge, at the same time, that WMD and their proliferation pose the greatest potential threat to the safety of mankind. Among criminal and terrorist circles, there is a growing interest in WMD and their constituents. What is more, since the cold war era this threat, far from decreasing, is actually increasing. Therefore, the report contains an assessment not only of the jointly implemented policy of the European Union and its Member States with regard to WMD non-proliferation and restriction, but also an examination of aspects of the activities of the USA, Russia and other states that are jointly responsible.
The report voices dissatisfaction regarding the inability of the international community to reach a consensus at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference held in New York in May this year. This is seen as a serious blow for multilateralism. As is well known, the 40-plus priority measures put forward by the European Council and Commission to improve the situation did not receive adequate support. This confirms the diversity of interests, tactical thinking and action among states with international influence. Such a lack of trust does not foster multilateral cooperation but devalues the activity of the International Atomic Energy Agency and other special chemical and weapons control organisations. Their information is frequently critical in keeping the issue of weapons of mass destruction subject to international control. Similarly, when the report was being debated within the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, differing opinions were expressed concerning steps that could be taken internationally on a multilateral basis. For example, there were differing views about Iran’s current politically sensitive nuclear programme.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will touch on one more aspect of the report which is, in my view, particularly pressing. I believe that the success of the European Union’s common strategy on WMD proliferation is now to a large extent dependent on the available financial aspects of the European Union’s strategy for restricting the proliferation of WMD. It has to be said that currently the absence of a goal-oriented, distinct funding heading is undermining successful implementation of the strategy. Unfortunately, there is no clarity at the moment either in the European Parliament or in the other European institutions about the funding of the priorities laid down by the Council’s Personal Representative or of the programmes accepted by the Commission’s global partnership of eight. This is absurd, since it would be necessary, according to previous political decisions, to allocate more than 900 million euros over the next five years for the various measures in European Union programmes planned for the restriction of WMD proliferation, for disarmament and for weapons destruction. This figure and this level of funding demonstrates the European Union’s ambitions in previous years, but there is a time when the political will to fulfil commitments that have already been undertaken has to be demonstrated. This means that the Commission and the Council first of all need to be able to agree on drafting a goal-oriented, effective financial instrument for the needs of the WMD programme within the framework of the next Financial Perspective, as well as within the Community budget, and the funding framework of the European Council’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. The problems that have arisen confirm the need for the European Parliament, as an institution with budgetary powers, to participate in ensuring consistent provision for the European Union’s security strategy."@en1
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"en.20051116.21.3-300"2
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