Brussels, 04/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU has been successful diplomatically in New York, where EU representatives at meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, the highest representatives being Catherine Ashton and Herman Van Rompuy, will in the future have the right to speak, to make proposals and submit amendments, the right of reply, the right to raise points of order and the right to circulate documents on behalf of the European Union, although the EU will not have the right to vote. It will remain an intergovernmental body at the General Assembly, with observer status, because full membership is reserved for UN member countries. The EU is not and will not be allowed to jointly draft resolutions or decisions or to submit points of order.
In the past, the EU27 was represented at the UN General Assembly by the country holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, but since the Lisbon Treaty came into force, this has not been appropriate because the new treaty gives the job of representing the EU abroad to the permanent president of the European Council (at head of state level) and the EU high representative for foreign affairs (at ministerial level), along with the European Commission and EU delegations throughout the world
Following intense lobbying by Europeans and after an initial failed attempt in September 2010, the UN General Assembly decided on Tuesday 3 May to give the EU new rights in addition to its observer status by creating a new category of membership at the United Nations. According to the document submitted by Hungary (as rotating presidency of the EU) that was approved in New York on Tuesday, the UN General Assembly will pass new rules in the near future on how EU representatives can attend UN meetings, including committee and working group meetings and international conferences organised by the UN as observers. An annex to the document agreed upon stipulates that the EU will be added to the list of speakers in General Assembly work, along with representatives of large groups, to intervene in debates and it will also be allowed to speak in general debates at the General Assembly. The EU will have the right to reply about EU views but only once per subject under discussion.
Last September, the EU tried to get the General Assembly to pass a resolution but the vote was postponed due to strong opposition from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). A lot of large countries, including European allies like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, also backed postponement of the vote on the grounds that they needed more time to examine the proposal. Countries opposing extension of the EU's role also included regional bodies like the African Union, the Arab League and ASEAN, which vetoed the EU's attempt because it would give the EU special treatment. This fear was removed in the end by including in the document voted through on Tuesday a measure whereby other regional organisations would also, if they wanted, be able to have a similar observer-plus status to the EU. Some countries, however, tried to get the document altered, with Zimbabwe, for example, submitting an amendment challenging the EU's right to reply, but the General Assembly rejected Zimbabwe's amendment by 142 votes and 20 abstentions. The Zimbabwe amendment was voted for by Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The final resolution put forward by Hungary on behalf of the EU was approved by an absolute majority of 180 votes in favour, no votes against and two abstentions (Syria and Zimbabwe).
Reaction. The EU high representative for foreign policy, Catherine Ashton, who attended the General Assembly meeting in New York after a last ditch round of meetings about the draft resolution, said she was relieved at the outcome: “I am very pleased that the United Nations General Assembly adopted today's resolution which takes account of the institutional changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty. The resolution will in future enable EU representatives to present and promote the EU's positions in the UN, as agreed by its member states”. The permanent president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, also welcomed the vote, explaining in a press release that the resolution recognised the fact that now that the Lisbon Treaty has come into force, EU foreign representation is carried out by European officials. He said that the resolution provided serious recognition of the EU's status as a global player at the UN and was the result of joint effort by all the member states and all the EU institutions. Herman Van Rompuy thanked the members of the UN for their overwhelming support for the resolution. (H.B./transl.fl)