Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-02-18-Speech-3-068"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20090218.20.3-068"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Thank you, Mr President. Indeed, I believe that the Union’s foreign policy is worthy of attention.
I want to thank my colleagues in the House from the different political groups for their understanding and excellent cooperation. We have tried to take most of the concerns on board, and I hope that the report will be endorsed by a handsome majority of our House.
Finally, to our partners from the Council and the Commission, I would like to say that we hope that this occasion can help us to develop a deeper strategic dialogue between Parliament, the Council and the Commission which will bring more democratic legitimacy to the hard work you are doing, Mr Solana and Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, in order to have more cooperation in our triangle.
I hope that you will treat this as a possibility to develop more synergy, to strengthen our common voice – the voice of all three actors – and to give more democratic and parliamentary legitimacy to our common goal which is: foreign policy; one voice; European Union.
Mr President, we have a special debate today on three major reports on foreign policy, on security and defence, and on EU-NATO relations.
Our annual report on the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) has become an important vehicle through which Parliament expresses its strategic view on EU foreign policy. In this year’s report, we have decided to focus on policy making and policy shaping. We have focused on the need to establish a true dialogue with the Council on the main objectives of the EU’s common foreign and security policy. We have recognised that it is in progress, namely that for the first time, the Council’s report systematically refers to the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament. We are grateful: this is a real achievement. However, we have expressed also our regret that the Council does not engage in a full dialogue with the views advanced by Parliament, nor does it refer to those resolutions in operational documents as joint actions or common positions.
We expect that the Council’s annual report will provide opportunities to establish a dialogue with Parliament aimed at developing a more strategic approach to the common foreign and security policy. We have reiterated the most important principles in our report which should underscore our foreign policy. In our view, the CFSP must be underpinned and guided by the values which the European Union and its Member States cherish, notably democracy, the rule of law, respect for the dignity of the human person, for human rights and for fundamental freedoms, and the promotion of peace and effective multilateralism.
We believe that the European Union can make an impact, but only if it speaks with one voice and if it is equipped with appropriate instruments like those stemming from the Lisbon Treaty and a more generous budget. We can undertake effective action only when it is legitimised by both the European and national parliaments acting at their respective levels and in accordance with their own mandates.
In order to be credible and to respond to the expectations of EU citizens – and I say this on the eve of new parliamentary elections coming soon – the CFSP must be allocated resources commensurate with the objectives and specific targets. We regret, therefore, that as in previous years, the CFSP budget is seriously under-funded.
We address horizontal and geographical issues in our report. On horizontal issues, let me just enumerate the most important ones we touched upon: first, upholding human rights and promoting peace and security in Europe’s neighbourhood and at global level; second, support for effective multilateralism and respect for international law; third, the fight against terrorism; fourth, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and disarmament; fifth, climate change, energy security and issues like cyber security.
In this report, we are intentionally selective. We concentrate, therefore, on some strategic and geographical priority areas such as the Western Balkans, the Middle East and the broader Middle East, South Caucasus, Africa and Asia, and obviously relations with our strategic partner, the USA, as well as relations with Russia.
This report should be seen in conjunction with, and complementary to, Parliament’s more detailed reports. It should not be trying to duplicate them."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples