Strasbourg, 12/09/12 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 12 September, the European Parliament underlined the need to develop a genuinely coherent strategy within the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy, which reflected the values of the EU and which provided it with greater punching power on the international stage. Elmar Brok's (EPP, Germany) report was broadly adopted (511 votes in favour, 73 against, with 78 abstentions) by Parliament and highlighted three watchwords: coherence, efficiency and legitimacy. The MEP explained that, “we want a coherent Common Foreign and Security Policy based on clear priorities and the efficient use of resources”. In this report, MEPs said that with the Lisbon Treaty, the EU, “has all the necessary resources for adopting a comprehensive approach” that allows the use of, “all the Union's diplomatic and financial resources to support strategic orientations and common policies”. This overall approach covers all areas of foreign policy, including the gradual definition of a Common Security and Defence Policy and also emphasised human rights. Parliament also explained the importance of closer coordination between the internal and external dimensions of the EU's security policies, which external Union action should reflect.
Support for multilateralism. MEPs consider that, “effective multilateralism constitutes the cornerstone of European Union foreign policy”. They are calling on the EU to play a leading role in international cooperation and underline the importance of cooperating with other international partners in an effort to respond to threats, crises and international challenges. On Wednesday, during a debate, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, said that there is more to do to develop close collaboration between different organisations: the Arab League, the African Union, ASEAN, the Organisation for the Islamic Conference, as well as with the EU's most obvious partner, the UN.
MEPs and Ashton alike also underlined the importance of greater synergy between the European institutions in an effort to guarantee greater effectiveness and to send out a single message. Ashton said that she was convinced that they should continue developing synergies between the EEAS, the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. She also noted that the EU was developing the best service possible for responding to the needs of the EU and its citizens. She pointed out that the EEAS was becoming a centre of ideas, policy and analysis and stressed that the greatest advantage of the organisation was its network of 141 delegations, which still needed to be developed. (CG/trans/fl)