Paris, 16 June 2010 – The incoming Belgian EU/WEU Presidency considers it “an immediate priority to draw up a roadmap” specifying the conditions for the closure of WEU and its Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of the Belgian Presidency, Ambassador Walter STEVENS said that “the roadmap put forward recently in cooperation with the ESDA and to be discussed with the member states will serve as an outline to be followed”. He added that “the social plan will be one of the main priorities. We have a duty to clarify this matter for the staff of WEU. It is essential to deal with this as a matter of urgency”.

Mr STEVENS raised the crucial political question “of continuing parliamentary scrutiny of the CSDP” after the closure of the ESDA. He recalled that in the statement of 31 March last announcing the decision to close WEU, the ten EU/WEU member states had recognised the quality of the Assembly’s work and its “major” contribution to the development of a security and defence culture in Europe.

The statement had also “underscored the importance of interparliamentary dialogue on the CSDP” and had “encouraged an enhancement of that dialogue” the Ambassador added. “That means, and this is very important, that it is not up to the Council to determine the role of parliamentarians. I know that in this regard there are ideas and plans afoot. We await the conclusions of that debate among parliamentarians. And I am certain that the governments will approve these conclusions”, he declared.

Mr STEVENS also indicated that the Belgian Presidency planned for “the European External Action Service (EEAS) to be properly up and running by autumn”, making the Lisbon Treaty “fully operational”. He recalled that in keeping with the Lisbon Treaty “it is the High Representative [Catherine Ashton] and the driving force behind her, the EEAS, which are supposed to take initiatives in and determine the priorities of the CFSP and the CSDP”. He added that “Belgium sees itself as being at the service of the High Representative. We want a fully functional EEAS as soon as possible”.