Debate during the plenary session of April in Strasbourg on main aspects and basic choices of the common foreign and security policy and the common security and defence policy. Statements by Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, Elmar BROK (EPP, DE) and Knut FLECKENSTEIN (S&amp;D, DE)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

common security and defence policy (T)

BROK, Elmar (EPP, DE)

MOGHERINI, Federica (IT, EC)

FLECKENSTEIN, Knut (S&D, DE)

Main aspects and basic choices of the common foreign and security policy and the common security and defence policy: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, Let me say that this year, it has been a very demanding one for our foreign policy. The deal with Iran has opened an intense phase for our European diplomacy, especially on Syria; after the attacks in Paris, a member state has resorted to article 42.7 for the first time in our history, and we have debated this last time we met in this hemicycle; our response to the refugee crisis has put together an unprecedented number of foreign policy tools, from operation Sofia in the Mediterranean, to the new trust fund for Africa, from financing schools or health care inside refugee camps, to the economic compact for Jordan and Lebanon that we have remarkably put together for the London conference.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, Ending the great civil war in the Middle East and North Africa remains our must urgent commitment. It's a war that is being fought on different fronts, from the border between Syria, Iraq and Turkey, to Yemen and Libya. Each of these fronts has its own history and its own actors, and probably also its own development; but in each one the solution of the conflict has to come through national reconciliation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, Let's face it: big movements of people are the new normal, and again we discussed this recently in this room. Wars won't stop the flows; they can only make the situation worse, opening new routes, destabilising new countries, creating an incentive for human smugglers. We can only manage this together with our neighbours, not against them. For these reasons, I was in Lebanon and Jordan last month and in Africa last week, and will board one of our operation Sofia's vessels - that rescued just yesterday again hundreds of lives - at the end of this week.

SOUNDBITE (German), Elmar BROK (EPP, DE), In all of these cases we have to make it clear that we are on the side of those who want to make peace, and we have to use our influence to make this possible. In certain cases this is clearly linked to the migration, which shows that all of this comes to the broader heading of security that we have to define.

SOUNDBITE (German), Knut FLECKENSTEIN (S&amp;D, DE), A common defence policy of course doesn't necessarily mean more armament; it means more intelligent use of the resources of the army that we have. The EU is committed to consolidating peace, preventing conflicts and bringing peaceful solutions, and if it wants to be an autonomous and effective partner, then it needs to have a common foreign security policy as a basis.