Paris, 4 June 2008 - On 6 May 2008, the European Security and Defence Assembly adopted a new Charter and Rules of Procedure on the basis of a report presented by Mr Jean-Pierre MASSERET, President of the Assembly (France, Socialist Group) and Mr Hendrik DAEMS (Belgium, Liberal Group), Rapporteurs on behalf of the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges. This initiative follows on directly from the report entitled “The Reform Treaty and Europe’s security and defence” submitted by the President of the Assembly to the second part of the Assembly’s 53rd session and adopted on 4 December 2007.

The aim is to establish a European Security and Defence Assembly which, at the interparliamentary level, mirrors intergovernmental structures such as the Political and Security Committee (PSC). Members of the Assembly will ideally consist of parliamentarians from all EU member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) who are offered the possibility of participating with full voting rights. Associates consist of European members of NATO, not members of the EU (Iceland, Norway and Turkey). Partners include other European countries (in particular Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Ukraine). Delegations from other national parliaments, the European Parliament and other interparliamentary assemblies may be invited to take part in sessions of the Assembly as parliamentary observers.

All members of the delegations of the 27 member states of the European Union are offered the same rights in the Assembly, in particular the right to speak, vote and propose amendments in plenary sessions and committee meetings.

The provisions of the Reform Treaty leave no doubt that the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), will remain an intergovernmental process, quite distinct from other EU policy areas, and the prerogatives of member states on these issues will continue to be respected. The Reform Treaty provisions regarding parliamentary oversight of the CFSP, including the CSDP, give increased powers to national parliaments. As regards security and defence matters, intergovernmental policies have always been subject to interparliamentary scrutiny, essentially by the parliamentary assemblies of WEU (for the CFSP and ESDP), NATO and the OSCE. This is considered essential to help national parliamentarians fulfil their constitutional obligations. It is national parliamentarians who vote defence budgets and decide whether to deploy troops for European or international missions. The Reform Treaty reinforces this responsibility. With over 50 years of experience in European security and defence matters, the European Security and Defence Assembly is determined to continue to make its expertise as regards scrutiny of European security and defence policies available to the national parliamentarians of all European nations, with a view to encouraging our governments to enhance cooperation so that Europe rationalises and develops its capabilities in this essential area.

The new Charter and Rules of Procedure of the European Security and Defence Assembly apply at this week’s plenary session being held in Paris from Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 June 2008 (Palais d’Iéna).