Mr President, this report on a European Parliament initiative highlights an extremely important issue that we are facing, not only in the field of common foreign and security policy but in the context of enlargement of the European Union itself. In the field of CFSP, notable progress is already being made, particularly in terms of cooperation in the area of defence. A common military force is being created. It would be strange – not to say dangerous – if the European Union did not at the same time strive to improve its common diplomatic instruments. There is no excuse for lagging behind in this area, even if we take the factor of each Member State’s national interest into account as well as the almost purely economic nature of the history of the Community’s institutions between the Treaty of Rome and the Treaty of Maastricht. Diplomacy at the beginning of the twenty-first century has indeed been marked by great events and processes that are giving it much greater scope than it has had in the past. Amongst these I would highlight the globalisation of the international economy and the financial markets. It is no exaggeration to state with all certainty that diplomatic activity is becoming more and more involved in the economic sphere and to say that, in turn, economic interests cannot be protected without diplomatic activity. As is also well known, this situation is being played out against a backdrop in which the positions of the main players on the international political stage are being redefined. The aims that provide the market with additional sensitivity or idealism, however, particularly the fight for a project which is able to reconcile the goals of economic development and those of social and political development cannot be reached unless there is a high degree of cooperation between the Member States at all levels, specifically at the diplomatic level. What better instrument than diplomacy can there be for promoting objectives of peace and of reconciling national interests? The European Union must provide itself, as this report recommends, with more and better elements of common diplomacy. It is quite clear that, amongst other obstacles, organising matters according to pillars and the fact that the European Union has no legal personality both make it more difficult to achieve this aim and forced this report’s proposals to perform some clever balancing tricks. Nevertheless, we can, at no great financial or organisational cost, contribute to a better use of the diplomatic resources we already have in the European Union, to everyone’s benefit. The wealth and diversity of diplomatic experience in the various countries of Europe is also recognised throughout the world. It would be a mistake to think that any of the proposals put forward in this report could harm processes that are under way in the field of CFSP in general, or in the field of diplomacy in particular. The underlying aim of this report, as we understand it, following on from several discussions held over a period of months, is to bring together all relevant current experiences and processes and to direct them towards a common goal, which is, by and large, to create a genuine common European diplomatic service. Lastly, I should like to say that although one might criticise certain aspects of the report, I have no hesitation in recommending that you adopt it, and I hope that the proposals it contains are given the reception that they deserve.

Political group: PSE