10/03/2010: European Security Strategy and CSDP must serve European citizens. Arnaud Danjean MEP Members of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg for the plenary session on Wednesday March 10 approved Arnaud Danjean's Report on the implementation of the European Security Strategy and the Common Security and Defence Policy by a large majority. "This annual document of the Parliament is published this year in a particular context", the Chairman of the Security and Defence Sub-Committee of the European Parliament told the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. "Firstly, there is the 10th anniversary of the European Security and Defence Policy; secondly, the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty which gave this policy a new dimension; and finally, NATO's current reflection on its strategic concept, which should lead us to a better definition of the conditions of this fundamental partnership." "In this context, the aim of this Report is not so much to fix a doctrine as to deliver a roadmap, which will evolve, for the new institutions currently being set up, who have to learn to work together to make the EU credible, efficient and visible in the area of security and defence", said Arnaud Danjean, underlining that "greater responsibility for the European Parliament in these sensitive areas is indispensable for legitimising a policy whose main aim is to safeguard the security of European citizens". "This political ambition is not excessive - it corresponds to a need, for our continent, to work for its own security but also to contribute to stability in the world", highlighted Danjean. "It seemed essential to us to underline that the Union adds unequalled value to crisis management, thanks to the variety of solutions it offers and the balance between civil and military dimensions which characterises the Common Security and Defence Policy. As regards civil as well as military capacities, what is at stake is to improve the EU's responsiveness. We need to be able to mobilise material goods and competent personnel more quickly and more efficiently", the Chairman of the Security and Defence Sub-Committee said. Arnaud Danjean recalled that we must avoid considering the development of the CSDP as a risk of competition with NATO: "The EU's autonomy in the area of security and defence is the ability of Europeans to act in times of crises where NATO cannot intervene (as in the case of Georgia), and it is the unique ability of Europeans to deploy civilian and military tools for crisis management, unparalleled with other international organisations", said Danjean. "We must never forget that the CSDP is a necessity, born from the dramatic European failure in the Balkans in the 90s. 500 million European citizens will not understand if the EU abandons its ambition to contribute to security and international stability", concluded Danjean. (Translation from the original French) For further information: Arnaud Danjean MEP, Tel: +33-3-88177852 Marion Jeanne, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-479-840293 Notes to Editors: The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members.