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2004  2003 2002 2001 2000
Bühler: The Europeans must revise ESDP urgently to include anti-Terrorism
Paris, 20 June 2002: In a speech yesterday commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Petersberg Declaration on crisis management, the President of the Assembly, Klaus Bühler, (Member of the German Bundestag) called on the EU to revise its security and defence policy with a view to including the fight against terrorism as a task for ESDP. �Terrorism is an additional problem to deal with�, he said, �the EU should not confine its efforts to Petersberg crisis management�. He would �support the appeal of Spanish Defence Minister Trillo for �more Europe� in defence policy�. In the presence of European Ambassadors and Defence Attach�s, he submitted the following recommendations to the European heads of state and government who are to meet at the forthcoming EU summit in Seville so that they can �give us an assurance that the EU�s plan to develop its own European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) does not founder�:
� All possible precautions must be taken to avert an attack from abroad such as that of 11 September.
� The EU should decide whether it wishes to combat terrorism using political means alone or with complementary military means. If it decides to have recourse to military means as well, the fight against terrorism must be included as one of the objectives of ESDP and a military concept must be drawn up enabling the EU to intervene when NATO as a whole is not engaged.
� The EU must also step up its efforts to become operational across the full spectrum of Petersberg missions including the most demanding military operations, and should demonstrate the political will to take on such missions. Never again should a European security and defence policy be compromised by the apparent lack of political will as happened in the case of WEU.
� The EU should propose an inclusive model acceptable to all European partners for participation in the ESDP, and in EU-led missions in particular. A solution that excludes certain partners will divide Europeans and weaken NATO as a whole. A solution that foresees developing the European Security and Defence Identity exclusively within NATO would mean the end of ESDP.
� The credibility of ESDP depends on the unreserved support of all member states. It would not be conducive to the credibility of the EU if it were to grant special arrangements not just to Denmark but also to other states such as Ireland.
(Download the speech on our web-site at http://assemblee-ueo.itnetwork.fr/en/documents/discours/dis/2002/petersberg.html )
Speaking at the same ceremony, Dr Julian Lindley-French of the EU Institute for Security Studies fully supported the President�s recommendations saying, �11 September was a wake up call. Catastrophic terrorism is here to stay and it is our duty to ensure that ESDP is effective against the threats posed by moral medievalism�. The Petersberg tasks were designed as a �dynamic mechanism for the progressive preparation of a strong Europe to play a full role not only in its security, but that of the world beyond�, he added. Referring to his latest Chaillot Paper on transatlantic relations, he said �we cannot expect the US to be anything other than unilateral�. But what mattered would be the nature of its unilateralism. It would depend on Europe whether it could play a role as a �reality check for its old friend from time to time�. To take on that role, Europe should speak with one voice, improve its capabilities and muster the political courage to ask the public for the money needed. Only then would Europeans be in a position to influence Washington to keep the US �committed to a war on global terrorism, not simply a global war on terror that affects the US�.
Background: the Assembly of WEU was founded in 1954 by the modified Brussels Treaty. Composed of 364 national parliamentarians from 28 countries including all EU member states, the Assembly scrutinises European intergovernmental activities in all areas of security and defence. Following the transfer of WEU�s operational activities to the EU, the Assembly also acts as the interim European Security and Defence Assembly.
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