
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.
Greece needs major structural reforms not more taxes
At a press conference in Athens today ahead of an expected announcement by Greek party leaders backing a new austerity plan in return for EU support for the latest bailout, Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader, heading a delegation...
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Verhofstadt on EU summit: "Eurozone needs action not words"
On the margins of today's summit of European leaders in Brussels aiming to agree a new fiscal stability pact to solve the financial crisis, Guy Verhofstadt (Liberal and Democrat group leader) stated:
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New version of fiscal stability agreement progress without being the solution
The fourth draft text of the international agreement on fiscal stability, coordination and governance contains a number of welcome improvements from the previous version. Nevertheless, at the forthcoming meeting of the...
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