Working Group „External Action“

 1.      Introduction

  The Convention’s plenary debate on external action confirmed that the EU had much to gain from acting collectively on the international scene. Only a strong and united Union can protect its political and economic interests and defend the values, which are at the heart of the Union itself: The challenge of globalisation requires that the Union fulfil its international role by using effectively and coherently all the resources at its disposal. The Union as international player has come a long way and over the years its role has been increasingly recognised on the global stage. We need to look how the Union can be made a stronger and more effective international player. The present paper aims at briefly explaining the background of these questions and proposes some avenues for discussion.

  This faces us with two mains challenges:

• How can we best identify and prioritise common interests?
• How can we effectively encourage convergence of views between Member States which would lead to more solidarity and political will to defend common interests?

2.      Decision-making process

§         The European Council has a key role in setting principles and general orientations in foreign policy. In the field of community action the Commission plays a central role deriving from its right of initiative while in CFSP proposals can be put forward by more than an actor. The Working Group could look into mechanisms that would help the different actors to collectively identify EU interests and to agree on a strategic approach to defend these interests. Exchange of information, joint policy assessments and other ways of co-operation encourage convergence of views. The Working Group could examine ways to strengthen existing mechanisms and possibly propose new ones.

§         It is important for the EU to have a dynamic foreign policy that is capable of responding to international developments. Many feel that the current need for unanimity in CFSP restricts the Union’s capacity to act and that it favours a policy dictated by the least ambitious position. The absence of an EU position undermines the credibility of the Union as an international player. It has been mentioned that the use of “enhanced co-operation “  and “ constructive abstention” could be possible solutions to ensure that the EU can be present on the international scene when needed.

The Working Group could look into the possibility of extending the use of QMV, of “enhanced co-operation” (a group of Member States could take forward an initiative on behalf of the EU) or of “constructive abstention” ( Members States, which do not necessarily want to join an EU initiative but do not want to block it either)

§         All agree that it is necessary to co-ordinate the use of all instruments in the decision-making process: The different policies and instruments are interlinked: for example, a decision related to humanitarian aid can have an important impact on foreign policy and vice versa. The current arrangements within the EU should be improved in order to allow better co-ordination and encourage a coherent and credible approach in decision making. The Working Group should examine ways of improving internal co-ordination of policies and actions that are relevant for the EU’s international relations.

3.      The High Representative

Since the creation of the post of HR in 1998, there is a general acknowledgment that the HR has helped greatly to put the EU on the map by maintaining a presence in conflict areas and keeping contact with main international partners. The Working Group could consider how the EU could further maximise the benefit driving from the function of HR (i.e. by strengthening his role in the decision making process and /or increasing the resources at his disposal). It would be as well useful to consider what resources, human and financial, would be appropriate to match the scale of the HR’s task. The Working Group could look into how one can ensure that the necessary budget is available.

4.      Representation of the EU in international organizations

 Some have pointed out that the external representation of the EU lacks clarity and that a single representation would improve the Union’s capacity to act effectively on the international scene. The Working Group could consider what changes in external representation arrangements might help to exercise more influence within the relevant international organisations (UN. OSCE…). In addition, the Working Group could examine ways to improve mechanisms that lead to the formulation of more common EU positions within these international organisations (single message). It could be useful to examine possible changes in the current arrangements for political dialogue meetings with a view on injecting more clarity and continuity in representation. It would be worth looking into ways to improve synergy between the EU institutions and the network of diplomatic representations to ensure thet they co-operate for the common EU interest.