European Parliament calls for tougher response to Russian threat | News
The European Union and its Member States must increase their military, political and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and strengthen their defenses in the fight against Russian threats to European security, members of the European Parliament said in their annual report on foreign and public security adopted Wednesday by 407 votes for, 92 against and 142 abstentions.
The European Union’s response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is being closely watched by autocracies around the world and will greatly influence their behavior on the international stage, lawmakers warn.
The EU must make decision-making more flexible and efficient
They called on the EU to use the provisions of the Treaty on the European Union which would allow the Council to take certain decisions, without military implications, especially in the area of sanctions and human rights, by a qualified majority rather than ‘unanimously’.
The report also called on EU agencies to submit proposals on how the EU could secure a permanent seat in all multilateral forums, including the UN Security Council.
Reducing the EU’s dependence on energy resources
EU security is closely tied to accelerating the expansion process, accession criteria must be respected and EU environmental policies must be reformed, say members of the European Parliament. They also urged the EU to reduce dependence on energy resources and other essential materials imported from third countries — especially those that do not share EU values or with which the EU is in systemic competition.
Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine
In its 2022 annual report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), which was adopted on Wednesday with 459 votes in favor, 93 against and 85 abstentions, lawmakers called for the immediate deployment of modern weapons and next-generation air defense systems. , urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to authorize the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine without further delay. They underlined that Ukraine maintains its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders and urgently needs military assistance and heavy weapons to win the war.
The report welcomes new EU initiatives to strengthen European security and defense, including the Versailles Declaration, Strategic Compass, Joint Communication on the Defense Investment Gap and Commission of Proposals regulation to encourage joint public procurement (EDIRPA). Member States should continue to develop EU cyber defense policies and capabilities, added the Member of European Parliament, and build security and defense partnerships with like-minded partners around the world.
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General foreign and security policy rapporteur David McAllister (EPP, DE) said: “To become a real geopolitical player, the European Union must strengthen its foreign policy instruments and strengthen its institutional structure. Unanimous voting, for example, clearly limits the capabilities of the Union. Europe to react quickly. The trade-off between ideals of unity and the high cost of unanimity on efficiency must be considered more critically.”
The rapporteur on joint security and defense policy, Tom Vandenkendelaere (EPP, BE), said: “European security has been badly damaged by Russia’s war in Ukraine. In this context, the EU should increase and accelerate military assistance to Ukraine and improve the functioning of its defense policy while continuing and strengthen its cooperation with NATO, and must, among other things, speed up defense decision-making and reduce its dependence on third countries”.
