Brussels, 05/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - A delegation from the Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU), led by its chairman Klaus Buhler, met the North Atlantic Council in ambassadorial session on 27 February for the annual meeting of the two bodies. This meeting allowed for an exchange of views on topical subjects, and especially the Assembly's role in the new European Security and Defence Policy (Esdp) and the place in this process of WEU Assembly member countries not members of the EU.
Wednesday, Mr. Buhler also met the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, Elmar Brok to whom he offered cooperation with the Assembly while awaiting "a consensus on the parliamentary dimension" of Esdp. This is what Mr, Buhler explained, saying, moreover, that in Brussels last week there had been a meeting, at WEU Headquarters, between representatives of the WEU Assembly and an EP delegation led by Catherine Lalumiere, European Parliament rapporteur on security and defence.
Stressing that for two years now, members of the EP had been regularly invited to the WEU Assembly's plenary sessions, whereas the EP did not systematically invite members of the Assembly to its meetings, when meeting Ms. Lalumiere, Mr. Buhler again requested "reciprocity" in their relations in the interest of European security policy. "We are open to cooperation during the transition phase", he said.
This week, the members of the WEU Assembly's Secretariat and Presidential Committee will visit Stockholm to discuss the prospects of Esdp with the Swedish Presidency.
You may recall that most of the work of WEU has been transferred to the European Union, except essentially that relating to Article 5 (collective defence) for which integration into the EU would require an amendment to the EU Treaty. In the second half of 2000, the French Presidency did not include "parliamentary accompaniment in Esdp" on its agenda, but this issue will have to be broached during the Intergovernmental Conference scheduled for 2004, said Buhler. During the transition period, the WEU Assembly will anyway remain in place.
Since the development of Esdp, experts have noted a "parliamentary deficit", "parliamentary void" even in this policy, given that the European Parliament is only competent for civilian crisis management. Security and defence are, on the other hand, the competence of national parliaments, but there is no parliamentary control at European level. Experts also speak of "political deficit", given that Esdp only concerns 15 European countries (EU members), whereas, with its observers and associates, the WEU has 28 European countries wondering "where their place is" in Esdp. Several of them, in case of real crisis, will be called on to consent to a transfer of NATO assets to the EU.
Following the transfer of most WEU activities to the EU, the WEU now only has a Secretariat in Brussels (the staff of which has been reduced to 29), the Assembly and its Secretariat in Paris, and the WEAG (Western European Armaments Group), attached to it. Last November's WEU Council in Marseilles decided that the WEU Council would only meet at ministerial level in case of need. Mr. Buhler was, however, able to observe that the "need" and interest were felt much more in normal times among the 28 WEU countries, especially as "the transition period (until 2004 at least) leave many questions open". "We welcome Esdp, but demand that it "does not rival NATO", but rather "complementary to NATO", the Chair of the WEU Assembly concluded.