Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-04-Speech-3-193"
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"en.20030604.5.3-193"2
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"Madam President, I should like to challenge three assumptions in the questions that have been put to the Council and the Commission.
First, France and Germany are not the European Union. They certainly do not speak for Europe. It is not accurate or helpful, therefore, to describe their difficulties with the USA as a transatlantic rift between the EU and the United States.
Secondly, it is not at all healthy for the European Union to construct itself as Europe's interlocutor with the USA on defence and security matters. There is already a forum through which European nations address transatlantic security matters – that is called Nato.
Thirdly, the idea that the European security and defence policy has anything whatsoever to do with reinforcing Nato is, at best, disingenuous and at worst a political deceit. ESDP is not about sharing the defence burden, it is not about strengthening the European pillar of Nato. It is about adding to European Union competences, taking forward the political ambition of European integration and empowerment. It adds no additional military capabilities. It merely establishes a different planning and decision-making regime that specifically excludes the Americans.
When the leaders of the European countries sit down with the Americans and other allies there is a remarkable unanimity. We have seen this in the last few days at Evian with the G8 and at the Nato ministerial meeting in Madrid. This is not unilateralism.
Yet when the same European leaders come together in an EU context some strange mental transformation takes place and they seem to speak an altogether different language. We should be reinforcing transatlantic solidarity, developing our joint capacities to tackle terrorism, to deal with the WMD threat and to deploy capable military forces wherever they might be needed.
Given the dangers that we all face I cannot understand why the European governments imagine that there is any advantage in discussing security and defence in a separate room to the Americans. Partnership of the European nations with the United States requires not just improved capabilities but also political will. This is sadly lacking at the moment.
The greatest service that could be done to Western security and transatlantic relations would be to draw back ESDP under the Nato umbrella and for us all to work together in solidarity for common ends."@en1
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