The Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP) on Wednesday 4 March called on the EU to strengthen its role internationally.
“The EU must assume a global leadership role and actively defend and promote its values and interests worldwide, including multilateralism, international law, democracy and human rights”, says the joint statement issued at the end of the meeting of delegations from the national parliaments of the Member States and the European Parliament in Zagreb from 2 to 4 March.
And in order to become a more effective actor in its neighbourhood and beyond, the EU must be able to engage with strategic partners around the world who share its values and principles, the delegations said.
According to the parliamentarians, there is an “urgent” need for “strong political and strategic coordination and more united and proactive external action” so that the Union can tackle the many challenges that directly or indirectly affect its security, values and strategic interests. It is important to further improve the effectiveness of the CFSP and the CSDP, they add.
The five-page statement also looks at the enlargement process, the EU’s neighbourhood and the EU’s new defence initiatives, including permanent structured cooperation and the future European Defence Fund, as well as future cooperation with the United Kingdom.
See the statement: http://bit.ly/3avZxyn (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)