Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-29-Speech-4-039"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070329.5.4-039"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I met the High Representative for the first time when he was Foreign Minister of Spain, and then when he was representing the Presidency. Whatever the fate of the Constitutional Treaty, Mr Solana, you are our Foreign Minister.
Thank you for your extensive presentation and in-depth analysis. We have to put all our efforts into making the EU’s genuine common foreign and security policy commensurate with the EU’s ambitions and importance as a global player, and its relevance from the point of view of the Union’s values as proclaimed in the Berlin Declaration for the 50th anniversary. In this context, developing and consolidating democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms should underpin our foreign policy. It should be a value-based foreign policy if it is to be truly European. Our parliamentary diplomacy contributes to that dimension. Our debates in Parliament should aim at possible consensus, rather than creating additional divisions, as has been shown in this debate. We should not merely pronounce our views on the issue; we have to act jointly and promptly when necessary.
At this particular time our thoughts should go to Belarus. We are bound to react to what happened last weekend: when we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of European integration, Belarusian democrats were being beaten and jailed on our doorstep.
The common foreign and security policy today is a multifaceted issue. It covers not only classical foreign and security aspects, including the question of nuclear arms, but also a very large range of non-conventional threats to democracy, peace and security on such topics as terrorism, poverty, energy security, climate change and so forth. But broadly, and without referring to all the points which you raised, High Representative – which would be impossible in the time permitted – we share and support the line which you have taken on all the burning issues of foreign policy around us in the world.
The message that I would like to address to the Council and to you personally is the following one: Parliament wants to assert an influential role in CFSP; it is in the interests of the Union, not only Parliament. We do not seek new powers. Rather, we would like to build upon our past experiences and enhance our influence in the field of foreign policy in agreement and cooperation with you and the Commission by adding more legitimacy to it and by bringing it closer to European citizens, making it more understandable and more widely and democratically supported and based.
We want to do that in cooperation with the European institutions – the Council and Commission. As you know, we are developing close contacts with the Council with your support and with that of the Commission. We would like to use this opportunity to assure both our partners that smooth and effective relations are very important for us and that we should work together, build synergies, complement each other and help in this supremely important, difficult and most delicate area of the Union’s policies.
Very briefly, on anti-missile defence, as you said, we do not have the authority to take decisions on defence, but we have do have the authority to discuss defence. For that reason, the Committee on Foreign Affairs is proposing a debate on AMD and crisis management on 7 May, in your presence, with the chairs of all the foreign and defence committees of the national parliaments, and possibly Mr De Hoop Scheffer. On 28 June, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Security and Defence Subcommittee will be holding another meeting on the AMD system, this time with General Obering from the US."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples