Strasbourg, 11/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption of a resolution by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the EP urged, on Wednesday, for a European defence industry that is effective and viable. It regretted that little progress has been made in implementing the Commission's 1997 Action Plan and invited the latter to present an updated plan (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.5). The EP stresses the importance of the aerospace sector and of ground and naval equipment, insists on standardisation and invites the Member States to grant greater priority to the creation of a European Armament Bureau. The EP considers that Article 296 of the Treaty (whereby no Member State has to provide information if it considers divulging such information would run counter to its essential security interests) should not be referred to unless very delicate interests are brought into play at national level. It considers that effective application of the code of conduct on arms exports should be an integral part of the European industrial policy for armaments and invites the Member States to grant top priority to the realisation of ESDP requirements of military capabilities in their defence order policy. A paragraph in which the EP is said to have expressed its concern for Italy's withdrawal from the European military transport aircraft was rejected (210 to 270 and 12 abstentions).
As we pointed out, during the debate the Commissioner responsible for enterprise policy, Erkki Liikanen, noted that progress had been made in 11 of the 14 points of the Action Plan for the defence industries announced in the Commission Communication of December 1997. He admitted, however, that "until recently the Council discussions have been characterised by differences of opinion between the Member States preventing the adoption of a common position on the framing of a European armament policy". Progress was particularly difficult for measures requiring legislative action, such as those concerning customs duties and intra-Community transfers, he noted, recalling that the Commission has opened infringement proceedings against 10 Member States on the question of "proper application of the common customs tariff on military and non-military goods". "This action may serve to reactivate discussions on this issue", he hoped.
Mr Liikanen, who feels encouraged by the recent ESDP developments, also stresses the efforts made by the Commission in order to heighten awareness about the importance of "standardisation issues for the efficiency and competitiveness of the European defence industries". The European Standardisation Organisation CEN was identified as "the ideal forum to implement this effort in the form of a Handbook of Defence Standards and Procedures", which should mainly make it possible to improve interoperability, harmonisation of needs and cost efficiency in procurement, he pointed out.
Finally, Mr Liikanen cited the STAR 21 initiative (aerospace development in the 21st century) which, he said, aims to "ensure that Europe's aerospace industry can play its full part in Europe's future". The group, which brings together representatives from industry, the Commission, Council and Parliament, will present its final report in July, and it is expected that this will contribute to "paving the way for the implementation of efficient measures valid not only for aerospace defence but for all defence-related industries".