Paris, 3 June 2009 – The WEU faces three major challenges for the six months of the Greek Presidency, starting 1 July 2009, Dimitrios K. Katsoudas, Secretary-General for European Affairs at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday.

Representing Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni, he told the Assembly that maintaining the budget, the implications for the post of WEU Secretary-General and the future of the WEU itself would all have to be tackled when the time came. Noting that, given the economic crisis, the budget was a particularly complicated matter, he made the point that if work was to continue as usual at the Assembly, resources had to be guaranteed. He also said that if the Lisbon Treaty were ratified, a decision would have to be made as to whether the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP) would remain as WEU Secretary-General, as well as automatically becoming Vice-President of the European Commission. As to the future of WEU, Mr Katsoudas said that it was premature to start work on the question before the treaty was ratified, and that success could be guaranteed only if public opinion endorsed any military and non-military action taken by EU governments.

Stressing that climate change, energy supplies and organised crime remained threats to security, he underlined that for the EU in general, and for Greece in particular, a priority was combating the growing incidence of piracy. He mentioned the country’s difficulties in policing its 16 000 km of coastline. It was important to find the root cause of piracy and what “turns a fisherman into a pirate”, further noting that Greece accounted for 50% of the EU’s maritime trade.

The western Balkans and the Mediterranean are two other regions of concern, Mr Katsoudas said. The western Balkans was a “relatively stable” region, and although still fragile, warranted “cautious optimism”. He urged continued investment in neighbouring countries, especially where rail, port and other infrastructure was lacking. Asked about the role of Greece in resolving conflicts, he said that the dispute between Slovenia and Croatia was “none of our business”. Relations in the Mediterranean were hampered by the lack of a solution to the Middle East problem, he declared. The EU should also urgently establish a new strategic relationship with both Russia and the United States.