Paris, 15 June 2010 – The winding down of the European Security and Defence Assembly (ESDA) next year could deprive national parliaments in EU countries of “the only tried and tested interparliamentary instrument they currently have for scrutinising the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)”, Assembly President Robert Walter MP (United Kingdom, Federated Group) said on Tuesday.

Opening the 58th session, he said that the Assembly did not wish to hamper implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, adding that “we must all promote the only credible model for interparliamentary scrutiny: a light but permanent and efficient structure. It is a matter of respect for the legitimate powers of the national parliaments and of the effectiveness of the democratic scrutiny that it is their full right and duty to exercise on behalf of the citizens who elected them”.

The Western European Union (WEU) member states agreed on 31 March last to wind down the organisation by June 2011 at the latest. Welcoming calls by WEU and the EU Foreign Affairs Council for an “enhancement of interparliamentary dialogue” among present and future members, Mr WALTER said that it was “essential to avoid any weakening of the national parliaments’ powers of scrutiny over the CSDP”. It was urgent to take steps to ensure that national parliaments continued to be “the main pillar and driving force” for the activities that would ensure interparliamentary scrutiny was “truly effective” and contributed to the strengthening of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

Since the decision to close down WEU was taken, ministers and national parliaments have taken several encouraging initiatives for the future. Apart from calls for “the enhancement of interparliamentary dialogue” on CSDP, the French Senate has recommended setting up a structure to bring together parliamentarians from the 27 EU countries who specialise in defence issues. The Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) proposed at its meeting in Madrid on 30 May and 1 June that a defence version of COSAC should be set up, but no decision was taken and according to President WALTER “it is unclear how it will be taken further”.

Another positive sign came from the EU Speakers’ Conference on 14-15 May in Stockholm, with a proposal for the incoming Belgian Presidency to foster discussions on “the fundamental role of national parliaments” in CSFP and CSDP scrutiny and in “the smooth functioning of the European Union”. The aim was to reach an agreement at the next Speakers’ Conference in April 2011, Mr WALTER noted. He went on to say that the Assembly’s Presidential Committee had agreed that the Assembly should hold a plenary session in December and an extraordinary meeting next May to hand over its work to its successor body.

Meanwhile, he has proposed that a steering committee should be set up, possibly under the joint chairmanship of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security and the incoming Belgian EU Presidency (represented ideally by the Speakers of the Senate and the Chamber), to plan the future scrutiny mechanism. The High Representative, Catherine ASHTON, had assured him personally that she “welcomed the reflection being undertaken by the WEU Assembly to explore future avenues for interparliamentary cooperation on CSFP/CSDP issues,” he added.

A document signed by President WALTER and entitled “Parliamentary scrutiny of the CGSP and CDSP: the way ahead” includes proposals for a future interparliamentary body, and on Monday the Assembly’s Presidential Committee set up a working group to prepare a document on the issue to be submitted to the incoming Belgian WEU/EU Presidency in July.

Turning to CFSP and CSDP in general, Mr WALTER said that although CSDP was one of the EU’s “most dynamic and innovative policy areas”, its development had now reached a stage where there was an obvious risk of stagnation unless “courageous steps” were taken. The EU “is certainly an actor in international politics, but not yet a strategic one,” he added. The beginning of the “crucial new phase” of implementing the Lisbon Treaty was “rather disappointing,” he said. Core elements of the new set-up designed to strengthen foreign, security and defence policy had either yet to be established or get to grips with their positions and tasks, or, like permanent structured cooperation, were “already in dire straits”, he said. Other structural building blocks had been established, but had not been used (such as the battlegroups), had exhausted their possibilities (Berlin Plus) or had not tapped their full potential (the European Defence Agency). Many of these issues are taken up in the reports to be submitted to the Assembly during its 15-17 June session.

Regarding the European External Action Service (EEAS), or European diplomatic service, to which European foreign ministers gave the go-ahead at the end of April and which should be up and running by 1 December next, President WALTER warned that it would not mean that Europe had a common foreign policy. “We should be aware that this will be a long process with progress being rather piecemeal. … It will be up to the next EU/WEU Presidency to inject an extra dose of enthusiasm and dynamism”, he added.



See also the Address by the President of the Assembly at the opening of the 58th session of the Assembly