Role of the EU within the UN - how to better achieve EU foreign policy goals
The European Parliament adopted by 488 votes to 137 with 42 abstentions, a resolution on the role of the EU within the UN - how to better achieve EU foreign policy goals.
Members recalled that the EU and its Member States share the values and principles of the UN Charter as stated in Article 21(1) TEU and have a crucial role in promoting those principles as well as the goals of the UN, through the external action of the Union.
Since the security environment of the EU was increasingly unstable and volatile, Parliament considered that the EU needed global partners if it were to succeed in achieving its foreign policy goals, notably in the fields of peace and security, terrorism, organised crime, regional conflicts, state failures and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The UN system is the main global forum for improving global governance, and as such represents the best forum in which to promote the EU’s values and interests.
Increase EU influence: Members are of the conviction that, in order to better achieve its foreign policy goals, the EU should strive to strengthen global governance inside the UN system and to increase its own and its Member States’ influence within that system. Therefore, the EU should, within the General Assembly, play an enhanced role that implies sufficient visibility and policy leverage, enabling it to better execute its international obligations.
Security Council: Members are convinced that the Security Council must be reformed in order to better reflect the new world reality and to more effectively meet present and future security challenges. They recalled, considering the contribution of the EU to peace and security architecture in the world and the Lisbon Treaty’s objective of enhancing the European foreign policy, the long-term goal of the EU having a seat on an enlarged Security Council.
They called on the Vice-President/High Representative (VP/HR) to seek common EU positions on issues within the remit of the Security Council, and to improve the existing cooperation mechanisms aimed at ensuring that EU Member States sitting on the Security Council defend common EU positions in that forum.
They encouraged countries having the right of veto on the UN Security Council to refrain from exercising their veto in situations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Enhance coordination and cooperation: besides these necessary reforms to be carried out within the UN, a better achievement of the EU’s foreign policy goals, including the promotion of fundamental values, presupposes a more effective coordination of the various dimensions of all of its external policy, both bilateral and multilateral. The EU is called upon to more effectively coordinate its work in the field of humanitarian aid, e.g. through ECHO, with the respective UN agencies, in order to create optimal efficiency with limited resources and avoid unnecessary overlap.
Crisis management: Parliament called for the improvement of preventive and early warning tools and enhanced UN mediation capabilities, with coherent and achievable mandates for peace-building and peace-keeping operations that include a human rights component and clear exit strategies. It encouraged EU Member States to provide more substantial support to peace building and peace-keeping operations, and called on the EU to strengthen its mediation efforts in conflict resolution. It stressed the importance of women’s equal and full participation as active agents in conflict prevention.
Members supported the reinforcement of EU-UN operational cooperation in crisis management, also by the EU working together with the UN on both the sharing of analyses and the planning of peace and security operations.
Prevent atrocities and uphold the rule of law: bearing in mind the recent atrocities and human rights violations perpetrated by some extremist and terrorist groups, as well as ongoing sexual violence in conflict, the Security Council is urged, in line with the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ doctrine, to define an ambitious set of tools and means in order to ensure effective prevention of these atrocities and uphold the rule of law and of international humanitarian law. UN Member States must combat human trafficking and clamp down on recruitment to and funding for terrorist groups. The EU must demonstrate strong and committed support to the International Criminal Court, notably by strengthening and expanding its relationship with the Un. It must also continue to advance the moratorium on the death penalty.
Economic, social, environmental and development dimension: Parliament was convinced that the economic, social, environmental and development dimensions of the UN system must be substantially strengthened by ensuring that the UN bodies take a more political approach and improving cooperation between them, and by securing a more effective and transparent use of available resources.
The EU institutions and Member States should consider the possibility of strengthening their role in the Economic and Social Council by developing it into a Sustainable Development Council. Moreover, the EU and the UN should step up their joint efforts with a view to reaching an ambitious and legally binding agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris 2015.
Humanitarian crisis: Members took the view that the challenges presented by the humanitarian crisis linked to refugees are issues which need to be managed in a comprehensive fashion, in a spirit of solidarity within the EU and in close cooperation with the UN and its agencies. In light of the recurring humanitarian crises linked to refugees and migrants, and considering that the sustainable development of the countries of origin could ultimately provide a solution to the humanitarian crisis, members recommended that the work of all agencies related to this concern should be coordinated.
Doha Development round: Members considered it necessary to bring about the conclusion of the WTO Doha Development round. The UN could work alongside the WTO, as well as providing advice and guidance for developing countries in terms of promoting a strategy for trade and investment, with the EU as a key player.
Lastly, Members are of the opinion that Parliament must be in a position to address the global challenges in the same deep and comprehensive way as the Commission, and to organise its work accordingly. They encouraged all committees of Parliament whose remit covers policies having an external and global dimension to forward their opinions on the relevant section of the report of the VP/HR to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which has responsibility for this report.