Mr President, a great deal is expected of the European Union, particularly if it is to do justice to the challenges it faces in the sphere of foreign and security policy. There has been a considerable amount of progress over the last few years, especially considering the Cologne and Helsinki Decisions, and the development of a European defence identity. We must see – indeed Mr Patten made this very point – that we contribute a large proportion of the world’s international aid. But are we really well-equipped to do justice to these challenges? Are the structures genuinely suitable? Do we really allow excellent individuals such as Mr Patten and Mr Solana to represent us overseas or are we increasingly forcing them to compete against each other owing to inappropriate structures? The fact is that the Council wants to operate as the executive in the foreign, security and defence policy, but how is this to be accomplished with 27 Foreign Ministers at the same time, when the Council thinks of itself as an executive authority in collective terms? All this is bound to lead to a situation that will be untenable in the long run. The European Union may have put the instruments for external assistance and trade policy on a Community footing to a large extent, but unfortunately we do not have the chance to allow the institution to push this Community policy through, the intention being to avoid any competition with the Foreign Ministers, who are not prepared to give up a little bit of their jurisdiction in de facto terms. If you keep appointing new special representatives then, in the end, this will detract from the competences of the Community bodies, notably the Commission, without really bringing about coordination. Kosovo is a case in point: it was absolute chaos. We provide the most money but nothing is actually being resolved out there, despite the best efforts of all concerned, because the structures are inappropriate. That is the real problem and it is increasingly bringing us into disrepute. We must ensure – and Mr Patten has the right approach in proposing the reorganisation of external assistance – that we strengthen the power to act of our Community bodies, and that we improve the way in which work is carried out there and make it more effective. But at the same time, the structures must fit together, or else we will fail to make headway in this area. Of course that also means, for example, that – as Parliament said before Amsterdam – the two-fold construct of High Representative/Commissioner for Foreign Affairs will not work. We have had our first taste of this only a year on. We have had our first taste of this only a year on. It would have been much better to have a Vice-President of the Commission for Foreign Affairs attached by means of a special bond of legitimation to the Council. If we are to fulfil the expectations people have of the European Union then we must organise the structures accordingly, but not in line with the traditionally held ideas of EU Foreign Ministers, who are not prepared to relinquish responsibilities in de facto terms. The new troika must be made better use of under the circumstances, and the question of parliamentary control must be resolved too. According to the Treaty, the European Parliament is responsible for the area of civil crisis management, trade policy and the like, and that is clearly the case. The national parliaments are responsible for financing and supervising their armed forces and the orders to go into action, and there can be no doubt on that score either. Only, we must have the good sense to bring about a certain amount of coordination between them. But here too, control must clearly be in evidence, because we cannot have a situation where European foreign, security and defence policy means less transparency and democracy. For this reason, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, we must work closely together over the next few days in order to guarantee and secure the necessary secrecy of certain documents. On the other hand though, we must also guarantee the same level of transparency and control that the public expects from national governments and national parliaments. I believe we will find the right moment to make a start on this. I see that the French Council Presidency is extremely well disposed in this matter and so we should work on it over the next few days. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE