Brussels, 15/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - During a debate mainly marked by considerable uncertainty over the Lebanese issue, several MEPs belonging to the European Parliament sub-committee on defence took a stance, on Tuesday 12 September, for more active European Union involvement. The chairman of the sub-committee, German Christian Democrat Karl von Wogau, opened the discussion by noting that the EU has proven its capacity to conduct joint actions on various occasions and is doing so at the moment with the force deployed in DRC, but that Lebanon is showing that, when this becomes difficult, distinct intervention by Member States is to be seen. While seeking to justify this difference between the joint operation in DRC and the Lebanese crisis response by the level of urgency, the representative for the European Commission, Christian Berger, stressed the importance of the efforts of coordination and the different forms of support that the EU bodies and institutions have set in place since the beginning of the war. “Unfortunately it is not Europe but the Member States” that are strengthening UNIFIL, general Philippe Morillon (UDF, France) said regretfully, while welcoming the work of humanitarian aid coordination. He returned to the need for a European fleet in the Mediterranean, alongside the 6th US fleet that allows the United States to play a major role in the region. “We have nothing, just a few ships (…). EUROMARFOR exists but it should be developed”, he said, stressing that it is a question of political resolve. After speaking of the need for Europe to have a powerful instrument in the region, General Morillon felt it would be “very simple today to transform” the EU Member States' contribution to UNIFIL into a EUFOR3. “This would allow Europe to assume its responsibilities. We would no longer be prisoner to the procedures in New York”, which “make us run the risk of being reduced to impotence”, he commented. Several MEPs, including German Tobias Pflüger (PDS) denounced the problems linked to the mandate of the Force and to the rules of engagement that are still as weak as ever, if not vague (Pflüger spoke of a “never-ending story”). Portuguese Socialist Ana Gomes, who finds this extremely dangerous, said the EU is not sufficiently involved and a very strong political and military coordination should be set in place at European level. Ms Gomes also took a stance in favour of deploying a EUFOR force in Palestine.