Berlin, 08/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The members of the Western European Union (WEU) Assembly, meeting in Berlin on 6-7 February, approved a message to EU heads of state and government ahead of the special European Council meeting on 25 March 2007 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. They urge heads of state and government to make every effort to develop a European Security and Defence Policy based on: (1) shared objectives such as described in the European Security Strategy formulated in 2003; (2) credible capabilities and technology: to reach the objectives set by the Helsinki Declaration, it is imperative to encourage all member states to invest in the requisite military capabilities; make sure that quick decisions on the management of crises are possible through intelligence gathering, highly responsive planning capabilities and operational command structures; provide the resources to evolve policies in European research and technology and joint armaments programmes leading to coordinated and compatible national defence procurement (the text says that “these developments should be coordinated with NATO so as to strengthen both the ESDP and the Atlantic Alliance”); (3) democratic legitimacy: “these policies must be subject to increased democratic scrutiny of the ESDP by national parliaments. In this respect the Assembly of the WEU plays a decisive role. We need to strengthen this process. This existing interparliamentary forum, which is not a European second chamber, should be enhanced as a vital democratic link with citizens and public opinion”, said the Assembly, calling for the European Council to further this idea as a matter of urgency.
During the debate, the president of the Assembly stressed that WEU national MPs did not want “either vassalisation or confrontation with NATO, but cooperation” and that, in this context, the relaunch of the ESDP seemed urgent. Jean-Pierre Masseret (Socialist) noted the extent to which the Constitutional Treaty could support the development of a more coherent defence policy, even though the process of deepening integration was continuing without this. Before proposing a “strengthened defence union” along the lines of the WEU's founding treaty, Mr Masseret spoke of the role of parliamentary scrutiny, which could help enhance the policy's democratic legitimacy. Thus strengthened, the EU could develop a “defence Schengen” which would mean “additional requirements in terms of coordination of defence policies” for member states.
French Senator Hubert Haenel (UMP) also underlined that progress with the ESDP had to be accompanied by increased parliamentary scrutiny, but this former member of the European Convention also felt that “parliamentary scrutiny of European defence operations must also be able to be carried out at European level”. “The European Parliament is not able scrutinise national governments,” he pointed out, highlighting that it was national parliaments which voted defence budgets and, if and when necessary, approved military action. “The interparliamentary scrutiny which the WEU Assembly provides cannot be replaced. But this way is fragile,” he said, noting, “The future development of the WEU Treaty is uncertain: since 2004, it can be revoked at any time. The Statute of the WEU Assembly does not link it directly to the European Union”. And he, the leader of the French Senate delegation, argued for closer links with the COSAC which, since the Treaty of Amsterdam, had the advantage of a legal basis in European treaties. (oj)