Paris, 6 December 2000.- Jozias van Aartsen, incoming WEU Council President and Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister, Wednesday criticised the European Union (EU) for not paying enough attention to the parliamentary dimension of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).

Addressing the WEU-ESDA Assembly, he said, « It is somewhat surprising that this issue is not being discussed more intensely » within the EU. Stressing the « important role » played for decades by the Assembly « as a broad forum for debate among parliamentarians about European security affairs, he said that involvement of WEU Assembly members in devising a parliamentary dimension for the ESDP (…) would seem perfectly logical to me. »

This would « leave the initiative with the parliaments themselves, as they and you would be asked to coordinate and put forward their ideas within the institutional framework » of the EU, he added.

Outlining plans for the Netherlands’ six months as WEU president, van Aartsen called for a change in the EU Treaty to ensure « efficient decision-taking and democratic accountability of the ESDP. »