Oproep om Europa's buitenlands beleid in lijn te brengen met de wensen van de burger (en)

The European Union must bring its foreign policy goals in line with its citizens' wishes, says a report adopted by a large majority in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. It emphasises the need for internal steps, such as implementing certain measures proposed in the Constitutional Treaty, and external priorities, for example the fight against poverty, in order to have a common European voice in international affairs.

The own-initiative report by Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, DE) on the annual report from the Council on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in 2005, adopted by 47 votes in favour to 6 against with 2 abstentions, suggests that the EU's foreign policy "should target a limited number of areas which better connect with the wishes and concerns of European citizens and their expectations of the role to be played by the Union in international affairs." It particularly emphasises that "much more should be done from an external action perspective to halt the spread of poverty in the world," while also naming energy security, democracy promotion and the fight against terrorism as important goals. On non-proliferation issues, the report specifically expresses its concern "regarding the first test of an anti-satellite weapon carried out by China in January 2007."

The Constitutional Treaty and CFSP financing

"Without the Constitutional Treaty, [...] the European Union cannot shape a foreign policy that can at least partially meet the most important challenges," says the committee. Members argue in favour of a mutual assistance clause, an office of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the establishment of an EU Diplomatic Academy.

On the issue of the CFSP budget, MEPs regretted that "that the specific article within the CFSP budget chapter devoted to European Union Special Representatives does not avoid the proliferation of envoys of that kind," which the committee thinks undermines the role of the Commission's delegations on the ground. Furthermore, the committee is unsatisfied with the fact that "the new Interinstitutional Agreement does not change the existing rules on ESDP operations, such as the principle that 'costs lie where they fall'," which in effect places the financial cost of any military operation on the Member State who provides the troops to accomplish it. This is a disincentive for governments to pledge troops, and could be avoided if such operations were financed directly from the EU's budget, the report argues.

Improving European Parliament oversight

The committee also stressed the need to involve the EP more closely in the elaboration and oversight of CFSP goals. "The Council's practice of merely informing Parliament and submitting a descriptive list of CFSP activities carried out in the previous year, instead of really consulting Parliament at the beginning of each year [...] constitutes a de facto infringement of the very substance of Article 21" of the EU treaties, says the report. It therefore calls for more active consultation of the Parliament on the CFSP in general, while also calling for additional powers, for instance "by conferring on Parliament the authority to appoint, and dismiss, the Counter-Terrorism Coordinator and the Directors of SitCen, the EU Satellite Centre (EUSC) and Eurojust."