Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-03-10-Speech-3-011"
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"en.20100310.6.3-011"2
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"Mr President, Baroness Ashton, the report on the implementation of the European Security Strategy that we are presenting today is an annual document by Parliament that provides a kind of interim assessment of the European Security and Defence Policy and submits proposals aimed at improving the effectiveness and visibility of that policy.
In the area of capabilities – both civil and military – which is a crucial issue in terms of the credibility of our policy, the challenge is to improve the Union’s responsiveness. We have to be able to mobilise more quickly and more effectively the material resources and the competent personnel that the Member States have at their disposal. However, we also have to have the capability, by means of a security and defence industry that is efficient, that combines invaluable technological knowledge and that also accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in Europe, to provide ourselves with equipment programmes corresponding to these forecasted needs.
The Europe of industry and defence has begun to organise itself on our continent through the defence package. Issues relating to industrial and trade cooperation with third countries should be addressed quickly, particularly in the light of the recent problems encountered by European industries trying to access the US market, for example.
This is a brief, inevitably overly brief, summary of the priorities that appear in this report and which represent all the challenges that you will have to take up. Parliament is ready to play its full role, its full positive and constructive role, to help you realise this ambition, which is a common ambition. Moreover, I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to thank all the political groups that have worked hard to enrich this report. We have all cooperated very well together to maintain a high level of ambition, while taking account, of course, of the characteristics of each of our groups.
I would also take advantage of this opportunity, Baroness Ashton, to address with you today the issue of nonproliferation. On the eve of the NonProliferation Treaty review conference, to be held in May, the European Parliament wished to review with you the Union’s commitment in relation to the fight against proliferation, and to the control of arms and disarmament; this is the meaning behind the oral questions that have been put to you and which you will answer shortly.
The international context seems to offer new opportunities on the eve of this review conference. Firstly, President Obama has strongly affirmed his ambition to have a world without nuclear weapons and his commitment to actively seek the ratification of the Comprehensive NuclearTestBan Treaty by the United States. Secondly, the conclusion with Russia of a new agreement designed to supersede the START Agreement seems to be going well and, lastly, we have the launch of the negotiations on a new disarmament treaty that would prohibit the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.
With regard to the reduction in nuclear arsenals, the priority is obviously to reduce the two main arsenals, that is, those of Russia and the United States, which it is commonly believed still alone hold nearly 95% of all the nuclear weapons that exist on the planet. We therefore welcome the commitment made by Presidents Medvedev and Obama to conclude a new reduction agreement in the near future. How does the Union, in this context, envisage supporting these efforts and cooperating with the United States and Russia?
The Union must also rise to the challenges posed to the nonproliferation regime and, more specifically, to those with which we are confronted by the two major proliferation crises that are Iran and North Korea, which remain the main threats to international security. Will the Union continue to commit itself effectively, completely, to resolving these crises, particularly in the case of Iran? We expect your guidance on this major issue, Baroness Ashton. Moreover, the Union has a role to play in promoting cooperation relating to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. You know that this is an important challenge. What actions are being carried out in this context, and what is your strategy on the matter?
Lastly, the European Parliament wants the Union to be a proactive force during the forthcoming NonProliferation Treaty review conference. The adoption of a new ambitious and balanced common position by the Union is crucial if the latter is to defend its position. Where do the Member States stand in this regard?
This year, this report lies within a very specific context, and thus it should become a force for proposals. This specific context is characterised by the combination of three major cycles.
The first concerns the 10 years of the European Security and Defence Policy, which we celebrated at the end of 2009. The last 10 years showed that Europe was able to conduct civil and military operations at the scene of more than 23 crises. That fundamental achievement can be built on further. It shows that there is a demand for Europe and that the Union has the institutionalpolitical and operational ability to rise to these challenges.
The second important cycle is, of course – and Mr Albertini mentioned it a moment ago – the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon. The change in terms of security and defence goes far beyond a strict semantic adjustment. Indeed, the ESDP becomes the Common Security and Defence Policy, the CSDP, and it must take on a new dimension. The Treaty has enriched the range of tools and the scope of security and defence policy, particularly with the inclusion of assistance clauses, of solidarity clauses, with permanent structured cooperation and, above all, with the creation of the European External Action Service and of your role as High Representative, Vice-President of the Commission.
Lastly, the third major event that characterises the context in which this report was drafted is that NATO which, for 21 of the 27 members of the Union, is still the main reference point where the collective security of the European continent is concerned, is currently revising its strategic concept and that this assessment by NATO should also lead us, the Union, to define more clearly the conditions of this partnership, which remains fundamental.
In this context, the report’s objective is less about persisting with a doctrine than about providing you with a necessarily evolving roadmap, for all the new institutions that are being established and that must learn to work together. The aim is to make the Union more credible, more effective and more visible in security and defence terms. In this regard, the European Parliament absolutely must be given a greater degree of responsibility in these sensitive areas if a policy of which the main aim is to guarantee the security of European citizens is to be fully legitimate.
With this report, we wanted to stress the following points. Firstly, we wanted to point out that, above all, the European Security and Defence Strategy and the Common Security and Defence Policy are there to serve the people of Europe, to guarantee and improve their security. This political ambition is not superfluous; it is not for appearances’ sake. It corresponds to a need for our continent to strive to ensure its own security but also to contribute to the stability of the world around us, to tackle the crises and the threats that are developing in our environment. Beyond the traditional armed conflicts that continue to take place in our immediate environment, Europe must be able to express its interests and defend them in the face of the new threats – I am thinking in particular of piracy and cybercrime.
We also felt it important to stress just how unequalled Europe’s added value in crisis management is, thanks to the variety of solutions it provides and the balance that it strikes in each of its operations between the civil and military dimensions. Moreover, in this regard, I reject the criticisms that some may direct at the Union’s security and defence policy, namely to suggest that it is all about militarisation. I sincerely believe in the complementary nature of the civil and military instruments that the Union possesses, and the recent crisis in Haiti, where you went – and I believe that you were able to observe this good cooperation – testifies to the need to link our civil and military resources so that we can cope with natural disasters and major crises.
Precisely on the subject of these operations, we were anxious to review them all, to highlight what we feel are their strengths, but also, at times, their weaknesses – they have to be acknowledged so that things can improve. We were also anxious to highlight several regions of strategic importance for the security of the Union and to encourage the Council and the Commission to speed up the implementation of global strategies, in particular, for the Horn of Africa and for the AfghanistanPakistan region."@en1
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