On Tuesday 24 October, the European Commission announced that it will be putting forward three domains of work in the foreign affairs and defence fields for 2018, namely implementing the Global Strategy, credible prospects for enlargement for 2025 and boosting effectiveness in foreign policy.
In its working document for 2018, the European Commission announces that it wants to make progress in implementing the Global Strategy. It plans to boost relations with leading partners, such as India and Latin America. In 2018, the Commission will therefore unveil a strategy for connecting up Europe and Asia, a renewed partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean, and new frameworks of engagement with India, Iraq and Iran. The Commission says the historic agreement reached with Iran on its nuclear programme has paved the way for a resumption of extended relations between the EU and Iran.
As announced in the Commission president’s letter of intent on 14 September (see EUROPE 11861), the Commission will unveil a strategy for the successful accession of Serbia and Montenegro, the countries that have made the most progress in the accession process, with particular attention to the rule of law, fundamental rights, fighting corruption and organised crime and stability across the region. It is certain that there will not be any new enlargement of the EU during this Commission and this Parliament’s term of office, since no countries are ready yet. However, the EU must provide credible European prospects for the entire Western Balkans. In its working document, the Commission says that the prospect of joining the EU is a veritable engine for reform and helps anchor stability in the region. On 12 October, Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn announced that the strategy would be wider than just for Serbia and Montenegro and would be published in the first quarter of 2018 (see EUROPE 11881).
Likewise, the Commission wants to work on effectiveness and greater coherence in implementation of the common foreign policy working up to 2025 and would be unveiling a communication on the possibility of boosting use of qualified majority voting for the common foreign policy and making the common policy more coherent.
The Commission says that Europeans should work more closely together on defence by mobilising all tools at their disposal, including the EU’s budget.
The Commission also says there are excellent reasons both economically and in terms of security for the European defence industry to innovate and cooperate more. The European Defence Fund should play a key role in this respect, the Commission adds, saying that it will prioritise rapid implementation of the fund and the plan for a European defence industry development programme. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)