Paris, 17 October 2006: Europe should be “built around an economic area and a political project”, said Jean Pierre Masseret (France, Socialist Group), President of the WEU Assembly. President Masseret was speaking at a meeting, attended by WEU Assembly members and ambassadors from the European Union’s Political and Security Committee, held in Brussels on 12 October.

According to President Masseret, “the EU has unique strengths in crisis management but no global strategy, and often no exit strategy, which in some situations can lead to paralysis”. He also noted that a real European security and defence policy was “vital for our citizens’ future”. “The existence of the Interparliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly is not in question. The national parliamentarians who are members of the Assembly firmly believe in the need for democratic scrutiny of European governments in security and defence matters. The interparliamentary scrutiny undertaken by the Assembly is a legitimate corollary to intergovernmental activities under the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)”, he said.

Following the transfer of WEU's operational activities to the European Union, the interparliamentary Assembly is continuing its political dialogue with governments through regular meetings with the EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC), whose members also serve as the WEU Permanent Council. The Finnish Ambassador Teemu Tanner, representing the current EU Presidency, praised the high standard of the reports on the ESDP adopted by the Assembly. The reports served as a catalyst for action agreed through the ESDP decision-making process. Ambassador Tanner also stressed the importance of a “multidimensional” response from the EU in dealing with the complex nature of crises, explaining that the organisation was the only international player with such an extensive range of instruments: civilian, military, humanitarian and economic, at its disposal.

Robert Walter (United Kingdom, Federated Group), Chairman of the Assembly’s Defence Committee, mentioned the possibility of extending the mandate of the European Union force in the Congo (EUFOR RD Congo) beyond the 30 November deadline. Ignacio Cosidó Gutiérrez (Spain, Federated Group), the Assembly’s Defence Committee Rapporteur for European Union operations in the Congo, felt that withdrawing the EU force as soon as the second round results of the DRC presidential elections were announced presented a risk and recommended an “extended mandate” and a withdrawal of EU forces closely coordinated with the handover to the UN.

Numerous parliamentarians raised the question of the role of European military forces and civilian teams in Afghanistan – a subject which the PSC is currently examining in depth.