On Wednesday 8 November, the vice-chair of the European Parliament's S&D Group, responsible for foreign affairs, security and defence policy, Victor Boştinaru, and the group's coordinator in the foreign affairs committee, Knut Fleckenstein, presented the S&D Group's position on security and defence. This 30-page document summarises the reflection that has taken place over the last year and a half, and enables “clarification on our own political position in internal and external dimensions”, Boştinaru stated.
The S&D Group highlights ten lines of action. The first covers “the EU as a 'soft power' in the process of transformation” (1). While the S&D recognises that the EU is playing a leading role as a 'soft power' at global level “through its actions to prevent conflict, manage crises and mediate, before the use of arms is planned”, “'soft power' alone is no longer enough to ensure our citizens' safety”.
In the MEPs' view, further financing for new EU activities on security and defence (2) is needed. They say that new missions “should not be financed by budget funds allocated to other policies”, especially those for development.
The group also underlines that it is “vital to strengthen cooperation” between the EU and NATO (3), adding that territorial defence relates both to the Alliance and EU member states, with “NATO being the framework for collective defence”. "The Union must strengthen its role both on the capacity planning level and on the level of joint civilian and military missions”, the document adds. In Boştinaru's view, it is also important to invest in the fight against hybrid threats and cyber threats.
The S&D Group argues for a more effective defence industry (4), wanting an “internal market more integrated with defence equipment, and Union support for coordinated research and development” and promoting the support of defence industry employers' interests.
For the S&D, the control of arms exports (5) should be strengthened, and member states should respect the EU code of conduct on arms exports. Fleckenstein said that it was important to consider, along with the European Commission, how to add penalties in cases where a member state does not respect this code.
Highlighting the fight against terrorism and the respect of fundamental rights (6), the S&D says cooperation at EU level should be strengthened, along with the sharing of intelligence, while working on the promotion and respect of fundamental freedoms. “We should strengthen our cooperation, especially on border management, maintaining public order, judicial authorities and intelligence services at the national and European levels, as well as with third countries”, the group adds. Boştinaru underlined the importance of intelligence-sharing, which he described as currently “very poor”, saying that certain member states were little inclined to this.
Promoting security, stability and development in the EU's neighbouring countries and in Africa (7), the S&D says that the partnership with Africa and action in the neighbouring countries should “be based on the idea that security and development go hand in hand”. It states that "security measures should be financed with the help of further support and not with allocations devolved to aid and development”.
The S&D underlines the “promotion of a world based on the rule of law” where the EU's common foreign and security policy (CFSP) is duly dedicated to the framework of the United Nations (8) as well as on the prohibition of nuclear weapons (9).
In addition, the group advocates “greater parliamentary control” (10), demanding that the European Parliament, alongside the national parliaments, be given parliamentary control of the CFSP and its budget.
The document can be consulted at: http://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/position-papers/reflection-paper-security-and-defence . (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)