EU in the World

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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.

News

EU defence strategy seems to be based on unilateral action first, EU coordination later

17/01/2013

The situation in Mali has underlined that EU defence policy is left to individual Member States to handle when it should be coordinated at EU level. This was the message today from Guy Verhofstadt on the day of the...
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Europe needs closer integration rather than the repatriation of powers to the nation states

15/01/2013

Addressing the European Parliament in a debate on the future of Europe with the Austrian President, Werner Faymann, Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE group president) underlined the uncertainty and confusion coming from the other side of the...
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The EU should not get distracted from the real foreign affairs crisis in Syria

15/01/2013

Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE leader, has welcomed news there will be an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council later this week on the situation in Mali, but deplores the fact the EU has not taken meaningful action on Syria despite 60,000...
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