Brussels, 11/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission on Wednesday adopted a Communication on the "prevention of conflicts" which proposes to make better use of the existing instruments of co-operation to contribute to the stability of the benefiting countries. A list of recommendations is annexed to this contribution by the Commission to the European programme for the prevention of conflicts which should be adopted by the Göteborg summit in June.
As the Commissioner for Foreign Relations, Chris Patten, presented the communication to the press, he emphasised that three elements will determine the success of the European prevention policy: "the definition of clear objectives, the capacity for action and the political will to act". But, he stressed, "the results will be determined by the will of the member states to take joint action in a given area of the world". The EU sees it as a way of providing itself with "instruments which fit more closely with its economic capacity and position as primary donor of global aid". "If the fifteen (member states) take joint action, the EU could be a major multinational player" hoped Chris Patten.
In practice, the prevention policy will be based on four key objectives, explained the Commissioner: 1) use community instruments more systematically and in a more co-ordinated manner, notably in non-EU co-operation; 2) deal with global problems more efficiently, such as illegal drug, diamond or handgun trafficking, as well as water management and other environmental issues; 3) develop the EU's capacity for reacting quickly, especially through rapid intervention mechanisms; 4) develop co-operation with large international partners with the EU, such as the United States and Japan, international organisations and non governmental organisations.
The list of recommendations specifically sets out the guidelines that the Commission intends to follow, for example by developing, in its "strategies by country", indicators for the analysis of potential conflicts, by creating a network between the Commission and the member states with the "desks" by country, by targeting its action on electoral processes, the administration of justice or police training, for example (EUROPE will publish these recommendations in its EUROPE/Document series).
"The European Union is not a novice" in terms of prevention, underlined the Commissioner, whilst putting forward in particular the European intervention in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. "If what we did in Skopje isn't prevention, then I don't know what prevention is", said Chris Patten. He also drew attention to the European involvement in the peace process in Colombia, for which the support group will be meeting on 30 April in Brussels. "Spain and the Commission have provided 100 million euros to support the economic and social programme and the eradication of drug cultivation in Colombia", he pointed out.
In the Middle-East, "our role is to assure the moderates of our", said the Commissioner, pointing out that the EU has criticised both the use of violence and Israel's settlement policy. In the longer term, "with the High Representative for common foreign and security policy, Javier Solana, in the coming weeks I will submit political options to the Council, as required by the Summit of Stockholm", he said.. Meanwhile, the EU is participating this Friday in the conference of donors for Palestine, which is being held in Stockholm. During the meeting of the EU/Israel Council of association which will be held in May, the Europeans should call on Israel to lift the economic and financial blockade placed on Palestinians, "which will have the opposite result to the one expected by the Israeli government in terms of security", according to Chris Patten.
En Korea, the EU's objective is to sustain the rapprochement process between North and South started by the South Korean president, Kim Dae-jung. "It will take time to break the ice, but we must do everything to push for change", said Mr Patten. The European Troïka will go to North Korea from 2 to 4 May in particular to examine the technical aid which can be provided in the farming sector or forest management, he noted. "I don't think that what we are doing can irritate the United States in any way. We are not doing anything extravagant and multilateralism is all about allowing several countries to search for a solution together", he observed when asked about the US attitude (to Korea).
When asked about the "savings" which the EU could make by restricting the movements of its foreign affairs representatives, Chris Patten retorted that " I have made 50 trips, Javier Solana has made more, but what we're doing represents economies of scale as we are carrying out the work of four or five people". He pointed out that he and the High Representative "have enough to be getting on with".