Gabriele Albertini MEP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee

The Foreign Affairs Committee voted today on its annual assessment of EU activities in the area of foreign and security policy. For the first time after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the AFET Committee outlined its future priorities, underlining that a new approach is needed if the EU is to act collectively and to meet global challenges in a coherent, consistent and efficient manner.

"The European Parliament's newly-acquired 'Lisbon' powers in foreign policy mean we have to foster a relationship between our Assembly and the new Vice-President/High Representative, who is subject to a collective vote of consent by the European Parliament. Together we have to build a continuous strategic dialogue between Parliament, the Council and the Commission at all levels to develop effective EU external action," said Gabriele Albertini MEP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. 

Albertini pointed out that common European interests have to be at the centre of the EU’s external actions. The Vice-President/High Representative should re-launch the development of collective strategic thinking with the objective of producing a coherent EU foreign policy strategy which could provide the framework for our common foreign and security policy.

"The setting-up in the next months of the new European External Action Service (EEAS) is of the utmost importance for EU foreign policy and the European Parliament needs to be effectively involved in this process, in line with its new 'Lisbon' powers. To meet the objective of seeing the EU play a leading and active role in the world, the ‘European External Action Service’ needs to be allocated enough funds from the EU budget," said Albertini.

He also recalled that there are several priorities to be tackled in the near future, to which the European Parliament can make crucial contributions, such as a common European external energy policy, stability in the Western Balkans, transatlantic partnership as the cornerstone of the EU´s external actions, strengthening global stability and security and political and economic cooperation with the EU neighbouring countries.

For further information:

Gabriele Albertini MEP, Tel: +32-2-284-5366

Francesco Frapiccini, Tel: +32-473-941652