Brussels, 21/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs this week held a first exchange of views on the own-initiative report by British Conservative Lord Stockton concerning the report that Cathérine Lalumière is to draft, for one of the plenary sessions in November, on the development of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
It is difficult to give an opinion on a report that does not yet exist, said Lord Stockton, who began by raising a series of problems, namely:
a) The problem of sovereignty. ESDP, stressed the British MEP in particular, must respect the fundamental law of a country to "maintain its strategic and military sovereignty";
b) The role assigned to the military in Member States and, above all, the situation of draftees, which varies from one State to the next. According to Lord Stockton, unlike a volunteer a conscript is called up to defend his country, and not anyone else's, and the ESDP should take this into account. (During the brief debate, Ms Kaufmann, elected German PDS member, felt it would be necessary to tackle the problem of conscientious objectors in this context also).
c) The relationship between the High Representative/Secretary General and the "institutional triangle". There is need for "urgent clarification" on this matter, said Lord Stockton, who mainly put the problem of democratic control over the High Representative. The elected Nea Demokratia member Mr Dimitrakopoulos raised the same problem and asked whether the functions of High Representative and of the Commissioner for External Relations should "merge" in the future. British Labour member Mr Corbett recalled that the Dimitrakopoulos/Leinen Report on the IGC called in fact for the tasks of High Representative to be entrusted, in time, to the European Commission for External Relations, who would perhaps be a vice-president of the Commission with special status. Furthermore, Mr Corbett felt that the constitutional committee should focus on the institutional aspects of ESDP. British Conservative Mr Beazley recalled in this connection that "apparently" Mr Solana and Mr Patten do not hold the same views on the question of knowing whether the development of European Security and Defence Policy requires, or does not require, amendments to the Treaty.