
Promoting a coherent European strategy in the World
The development of a coherent European foreign policy is essential if the Union is to play a role in the world. The Union must focus on its traditional strengths and put a very strong and special emphasis on human rights and democracy promotion. Foreign policy must always promote and defend European values and in a way that reflects the uniqueness of the European Union.
The development of the External Action Service will be a key element in providing the Union with the tools for greater coherence and efficiency. The Union must develop its foreign policy potential enabling it to act in a way commensurate with its weight in financing development and peace building policies.
The Union must also have a clear agenda of human rights and bring its experience in conflict resolution and crisis management to bear. The Union must also be involved in humanitarian relief missions where either human conflict or nature have caused devastation.
Finally, the Union must develop its defence procurement thereby enabling the emergence of a truly common defence market, strengthening European defence and its technological and industrial base through the exploitation of economies of scale and ensuring European forces benefit from the best equipment when sent on ESDP missions.
ECB must intervene directly to help SMEs
The European Parliament adopted today the report assessing the ECB activities for 2011. By endorsing an ALDE amendment, Parliament called upon the Central bank to directly intervene in helping SMEs against the current and serious...
[more]
Council approval of Yves Mersch appointment to ECB executive an affront to Parliament
Commenting on the decision taken last night during the European Council meeting in Brussels, to confirm the nomination of Luxembourg central banker, Yves Mersch, as a member of the European Central Bank's executive board, ...
[more]
Council must not ignore Parliament and absence of women on ECB board
Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader, today is maintaining the political pressure on Council to rectify the embarrassing absence of women at the top of the governing bodies of the European Central Bank as ministers attempt to seal...
[more]
















