Brussels, 25/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - In an admission made at a conference discussing the balance sheet of the Spanish Presidency's contribution to CFSP, Ramon de Miguel, the Spanish Secretary of State for European Affairs, described the Spanish Presidency as being "disappointed" at not having found an agreement between Greece and Turkey that would have allowed an agreement to be concluded on the use of NATO capability for joint European security and defence. The meeting took place in Brussels on Monday and was organised by the "Friends of Europe and the Real Instituto Elcano". In this context, the Greek Prime Minister, Costas Simitis briefed reporters, according to the Greek agency ANA, claiming that significant progress had been achieved at Seville, particularly on the principles of equality, autonomy and reciprocity between the EU and NATO, which had been strengthened and that third counties could only participate in the EU decision-making process after having received an official invitation issued by unanimous decision by EU Member States.
The Presidency was pleased, however, with having reached an agreement at the General Affairs Council on 17 June on the funding of EU crisis management operations (see EUROPE 17/18 June p 4). This success was also recognised by the Vice President of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee, Emma Nicholson and NATO Director of Information, Jamie Shea, as this translated into "a victory of practice over rhetoric". Despite the progress accomplished in the definition of European defence needs and the setting up of an "action plan on its capabilities, Jamie Shea asserted that the EU had to obtain "better value" and stressed that with an identical budget, the EU had less capability than the USA because there was too much waste and duplication.
In front of a hearing that was critical of the European policy results obtained during the Spanish Presidency, Ramon de Miguel pointed out that enlargement negotiations had made substantial progress. "The technical road map is almost achieved…and God willing, the new road map focuses on the how and when of enlargement, at what moment new Member States are going to participate in the Intergovernmental Conference and European elections".
Attacked from all sides for EU impotence in the Middle East, the Spanish Secretary of State pointed to the "Quartet" initiative that brought together the USA, Russia and UN. "We haven't been able to stop the war, but we have to think of what would have happened if the EU hadn't been there to bring the actors closer together and say to some of them, notably Israel, that certain things are unacceptable", he stressed. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Miguel Nadal, had no choice but to recognise the failure of the Barcelona Process with Mediterranean countries, the results of which a year after its launch had not matched expectations. Mr Nadal explained that given that the process was launched within a Middle East context that was more favourable, it was "a miracle that the Summit of Valencia took place at a high representative level". He also considered it important that the Summit was able to adopt an action plan and detach the Barcelona Process from the situation in the Middle East.
The new Brazilian representative to the EU, José Alfredo Graça Lima called on the EU to do more to open up its market in a way that didn't discriminate between developing and Latin American countries, following the agreements with Mexico and Chile. "Latin America is perhaps not a priority of the EU as it isn't a source of conflict, he sighed, in the hope that with "good will from both sides", the new agreement being negotiated between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) could be concluded. It takes two to tango", he pointed out.
In the end it was the NATO Director of Information and former Alliance spokesman during he Balkans war, Jamie Shea, who came to the defence of the foreign European policy by emphasising the role of the Union in the region: the EU had prevented a breaking out of new conflicts in the Presovo Valley, Macedonia and had facilitated a Constitutional agreement between Serbia and Montenegro.