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Convention a step backwards for European democracy

01 May 2003

According to the website europeansecurity.net the Draft Constitution of the European Convention means a big step forwards for the EU's military plans but a step backwards for European democracy. The draft "gives greater powers to the executive branches of national governments in the areas of foreign security and defence policy without increasing their accountability to either their national parliaments or the European parliament."

The main changes to the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP) as europeansecurity.net sees them, are:

* the existing so-called Petersberg tasks of the CESDP (peace-keeping, conflict prevention, peace-making) are extended with joint disarmament operations, military advice and assistance tasks, post-conflict stabilisation and contributions to the fight against terrorism including support for third countries in combating terrorism in their territories.

* the notion of "structured cooperation" allows a few member states to form their own new mechanisms in the security and defence field (a kind of advance guard).

* "ad hoc coalitions" of member states can act on behalf of the EU in the security field

* the introduction of a "mutual defence clause" comparable with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty

* the introduction of a "solidarity clause" to support member states which fall victim to a terrorist attack or natural or man-made disaster.

* The creation of a EU Armaments Agency to strengthen common military capabilities [stimulating the buying of European arms].

Europeansecurity.web notes: "Once national governments have entered into multilateral [CESDP] agreements, they effectively gain extra executive power over their own national parliaments...The European Parliament has, if anything, even less power..."

See: www.europeansecurity.net "More security, less scrutiny", July 2003