Paris, 16 June 2010 – The European Union should tackle Europe’s frozen conflicts urgently if fresh outbreaks of hostilities and a spread of greater instability across the continent are to be avoided, says Mike HANCOCK (United Kingdom, Liberal Group).

Presenting a report entitled “ Frozen conflicts and Europe’s security ” on behalf of the Political Committee, he stressed that as long as these conflicts remain unresolved, “they pose a serious threat to their neighbourhood’s political, economic and ethnic stability and also indirectly threaten European security – particularly through organised crime and corruption activities which have targeted European markets for a long time and gone unaddressed”.

The report, which Mr HANCOCK described as a snapshot of the situation today rather an answer to the problems, looks at three main issues: relations between Russia and Georgia since their war in August 2008, the tension surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Transdniestria.

Lack of progress towards solutions is “having a destabilising effect on the wider region and raises questions about the EU’s ability to project its own foreign policy effectively”. Politicians “must grow up and give a little. No compromise is not worth making” if it enables people to return to their homelands, said Mr HANCOCK. He warned political leaders that if any of these “hot spots (…) blows up out of proportion”, they will not be able to claim that they didn’t know it was coming, as was the case with the war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.

The report recommends the EU to pursue regional dialogue and programmes, which would encourage stability and foster a positive climate for conflict resolution. It reminds Russia of its engagement concerning the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, and demands that monitors be allowed to work within the administrative borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The report also calls on the EU to deepen the dialogue between Russia and Georgia, particularly within the OSCE and Council of Europe, and to step up efforts to limit the civil consequences of the 2008 conflict. The EU should also continue to support the Minsk Group co-chairmanship countries - France, Russia and the United States – urging them to persevere with their talks on the Madrid Principles to ensure that the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh remain on track. The report also suggests that the OSCE’s 5+2 negotiations on Transdniestria (Moldova, the OSCE, Russia, Transdniestria and Ukraine, with the United States and the European Union as observers) should be revived to accelerate determination of the region’s final status.