We will be voting against the joint resolution on EU external action priorities because we believe that it promotes even further removing from Member States any possibility of implementing their own foreign and defence policies and incorporating these policies into the common foreign and security policy that has taken shape. And this, by means of a European Parliament resolution! The common foreign and security policy has already left its mark in the shape of political and military interference in the domestic affairs of third countries in order to further the imperialist interests of the European Union, contrary to every interpretation of international law and to the interests of the citizens of the European Union and other countries. This happened just recently, in the case of Kosovo, and Yugoslavia more generally. The militarisation of the European Union, the arms race, the harmonisation of military weapons and the war industry, the imposition of the will of the mighty in the jungle of ‘globalisation’ and the free market, are diametrically opposed to the visions and struggles of the people for peace, a political and peaceful solution to conflicts and the rule of international law. It is clear that this policy goes hand in hand with the recent decisions taken by the Council to prohibit all access to documents concerning defence and security policies. The general orientation of these decisions is to keep citizens of the Member States of the European Union from the centres of decision-making and to prevent them from interfering with developments. Barriers and hurdles are being placed in the way of the popular movement, national parliaments and the European Parliament alike, so as to prevent them from exercising any form of democratic control. What particularly worries me is the fact that, through fundamentally violating its own treaties, the European Union is attempting to by-pass its own internal rivalries by indirect means. It is seeking to support the interests of European big business, to conquer new markets, and to support the euro, even by taking military action. The New Order is placing new demands on people and on the less developed countries in order consolidate its supremacy. In practice, a policy is being promoted which faithfully serves big business, sides with the USA, submitting to its orders, and promotes the New Order against the interests of the people. This makes it easier to understand why the European Union is not troubled by the barbaric invasion and continued occupation of 38% of Cyprus and by Turkey’s bombing raids in Iraq. The issue for me is not only whether and how the joint actions will be funded by the community budget, but to stop this policy, which is disastrous for people and peace alike. The issue is not whether Mr Solana or other representatives of the CFSP will make annual announcements to the European Parliament, but for the people of Europe to take their fate into their own hands and to intervene effectively to impose peace, brotherhood and international cooperation based on the common good. The joint resolution restricts itself to the two issues I have mentioned, which are of secondary importance, and comes to the arbitrary, and especially dangerous, conclusion that the ‘intergovernmental system’ which is at the root of the EU’s foreign policy, is the reason for the failure of the common foreign and security policy and that its success depends on its communitisation. This disorients people and makes them prey to the unaccountable dictates of big business. For all the above reasons, we believe that the ‘joint’ resolution in question demonstrates most dramatically how urgent it is for people to organise joint resistance and their opposition to this criminal policy, and to take the initiative and act. - Veltroni report (A5-209/2000)

Political group: GUE-NGL