Brussels, 08/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - German Christian-Democrat Armin Laschet, rapporteur for the European Parliament's Committee on the Budget responsible for the budget of the European Foreign and Security Policy (Cfsp), states in a press release that the European Parliament is, "today and in the future, the only institution with the competence and legitimacy to exercise parliamentary control over Cfsp". The EP already holds the essential budgetary competencies regarding Cfsp, and the High Representative for Cfsp, Javier Solana has an obligation to regularly report to Parliament, the MEP points out. He then "categorically" rejects the proposal of transforming the WEU Assembly into a new "European interim Assembly for Security and Defence" (see EUROPE of 5/6 March, p.4, regarding the ideas of the Chairman of the WEU Assembly, Klaus Buhler). "Firstly, we have no need of new institutions, and, secondly, the WEU Assembly has lost its reason for being since, at the end of last year, the WEU's essential operational functions were transferred to the EU", states the member of the CDU (But, remains Article 5 of the WEU Treaty, on mutual assistance in case of aggression: Ed.).