EU has made rapid progress in security and defence policies
Press release 246/2004
26 October, 2004
Over the last five years the European Union has made the most rapid progress in the area of security and defence, reckons Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. He says there is every reason to believe that also in the coming years intergovernmental cooperation will be the driving force of the development of the EU. It appears very likely that progress in the community policies will slow down after the enlargements. However, the community method is still viable and more efficient in the enlarged Union than the intergovernmental model, says Tuomioja. He was addressing the Global Europe 2020 seminar called "Shaping the EU’s Future Role in the World" in Helsinki on Tuesday, 26 October .
"As long ago as during the negotiations concerning the Amsterdam treaty, Finland supported the possibility of qualified majority voting in the context of CFSP decisions", said Tuomioja and regretted that in the new constitutional treaty the articles on CFSP decision-making do not go far enough. "In our view, compromises in the field of foreign policy should be guided by the views of the majority and not imposed by one or two member states that may be willing to block a common action", said Tuomioja.
It is true that Europe failed to get its act together in the 1990s on a policy for the Balkans due to lack of unity, admitted Tuomioja. The Union overestimated its capacity to handle the Yugoslav crisis which undermined its credibility in the eyes of partners and the people of Europe. Since then things have changed and the EU has been able to formulate a common foreign policy on the Western Balkans, on the Middle East and on many other issues. The Union understands the need to be prepared for global challenges which are not only economic in nature, says Tuomioja.
The EU has become more ambitious and is willing to take the lead, said Tuomioja and referred to the Iranian nuclear issue where the EU has been actively engaged in seeking a diplomatic solution.
"I want to underline that our future challenge is to adapt the crisis management responses to different crisis situations. Conflicts have changed and so must the operations. We are not dealing with aggression by states but violence against human security. An integrated approach combining both full civilian and military crisis management is called for", he said.
Further information: Susanna Parkkonen, Press Attaché to the Minister, gsm +358 40 5451275