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66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

2011/2030(INI)

Pursuant to Rule 121(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, on behalf of the ALDE Group, tabled a proposal for a recommendation to the Council on the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. In the draft recommendation, it is recalled that:

  • an EU-sponsored resolution to enhance its observer rights at the United Nations General Assembly in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Lisbon Treaty conferring legal personality upon the EU was deferred by 76 votes to 71, with 26 abstentions, on 14 September 2010;
  • the EU is a vital partner for the UN in the areas of economic and social development, poverty eradication, the provision of collective security and the worldwide promotion of human rights;
  • the EU and its Member States are the biggest financial contributors to the UN system, with EU funds amounting to 38% of the United Nations regular budget, and whereas more than two fifths of UN peacekeeping operations and close to half of the contributions to UN funds and programmes stem from the EU.

In this context, the following recommendations are addressed to the Council as regards the role of the European Union at the United Nations:

  • the European Union carries insufficient weight in United Nations bodies, taking into account the major contributions made by the EU and its Member States, therefore the Council  is urged to make its positions heard more vigorously;
  • the Council should ensure greater coordination in achieving the goals of the Union at the United Nations and foster greater cohesion between the Member States’ positions;
  • the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the President of the European Council are called upon to make achieving enhanced observer rights for the EU a strategic priority and to show greater visibility at the United Nations by way of intensifying consultations with the governments of third-country UN member states.