Paris, 2 December 2009 – Mr Göran Lennmarker, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swedish Parliament and the EU Conference of Foreign Affairs Committee Chairmen, told the Assembly on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) should “think European rather than national” on security and defence.

Speaking on behalf of Sweden’s EU presidency, which ends on 31 December, he said that the Common Foreign and Security and Policy (CFSP) under the Lisbon Treaty should be shaped from a European perspective right from the start, rather than trying to coordinate “national perspectives and perhaps ending up with the lowest common denominator”.

In a wide-ranging speech followed by answers to questions from the floor, Mr Lennmarker underscored the importance of the Assembly for the democratic scrutiny of security and defence. He also stressed the need to rationalise defence budgets and for a more integrated defence industry.

Mr Lennmarker said he was “rather confident” about the prospects of cleaning up “unfinished business” in Europe’s neighbourhood since the Western Balkans were in the process of becoming more stable. He believed that there was a possibility of having a Europe (of 50 countries) “whole and free” in the not-too-distant future.

The eastern partnership had a very important role to play in helping establish democracy and prosperity in the six countries involved – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – and making them masters of their own destiny. On the question of EU membership for these countries, he endorsed the policy of “no promises given, no doors closed”, and said that meanwhile they should learn to cooperate rather than fighting each other. The eastern partnership was also to the advantage of Russia, which would benefit from confident and prosperous sovereign neighbours. Unresolved conflicts came at an enormous political cost. He rejected the term frozen conflicts, since lives continued to be lost. Refugees from the breakaway Georgian states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia should be able to return to their homelands and be protected.