The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Elmar BROK (EPP-ED, DE). (Please see the document of 16/03/05.) The vote was adopted by 431 for, 85 against and 31 abstentions. Parliament asked the Council to ensure that its policy instruments, such as sanctions policy, are implemented with greater rigour and political commitment. The Council should also make every effort to give real substance to the Solidarity Clause for Defence provided for in the Constitutional Treaty as soon as that Treaty enters into force and a genuine and effective common foreign and security policy is in place.

In the context of the Security Strategy, Parliament emphasised the need to develop a corresponding security culture and therefore supported unreservedly the work now under way on implementing the EU training concept in the ESDP sphere. The development and setting-up of a European Security and Defence College must in future provide the institutions of the European Union and the Member States with well-trained staff who are capable of operating effectively in the ESDP sphere; to this end, the College must be organised on a viable basis and appropriately funded.

Parliament asked the Council to take immediate steps to correct the existing imbalance in geographical terms among the CFSP acts adopted in the last ten years, so that a fairer balance between the different regions can be achieved in accordance with the global ambitions of the Union. The Council should particularly strike a geographical balance between the efforts made so far eastwards due to enlargement and renewed efforts towards the south of the Mediterranean. However, it should avoid any cool gesture of diminished interest on the part of the EU for progress in the western Balkans, Ukraine and the southern Caucasus, at least.

Therefore, Parliament felt that steps should be taken by the Council to enable the EU to take advantage of the privileged relationships existing with certain geographical areas (via bi-regional, multilateral or bilateral association agreements, etc.), in order to reinforce its multilateral strength when dealing with other emerging countries and regions with which no such privileged relationships have yet been established. I ncreased priority must not be given to the EU's neighbourhood at the expense of crucial relations and solidarity between the EU and developing countries in the world.

Moving on, Parliament regretted that relations with China have made progress only in the trade and economic fields, without any substantial achievement as regards human rights and democracy issues. There must be a binding EU code governing arms exports. T he Council should not lift the arms embargo, but must find ways to encourage disarmament in cross-strait relations, supporting.

Parliament felt that it is important for the EU and the USA to have a constructive relationship and for NATO to become once again more of a forum for political debate on an equal footing, in which a sensible balance must be struck between the instruments of prevention, crisis management and military capability. It is vital to adopt common positions (EP-US Congress) on certain global issues of common interest (the fight against terrorism, regional conflicts, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disarmament, international law, effective multilateralism, energy cooperation, climate change, etc). Especially in 2005, the tenth anniversary of the Madrid Declaration, new impetus should be given to transatlantic relations - completion of the transatlantic market by 2015, updating of the New Transatlantic Agenda with a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement to enter into force as soon as possible.

Parliament considered that the EU as such should play a key role in the United Nations system, have a seat at the Security Council in future and support reform proposed by Kofi Annan.

Finally, Parliament insisted on the crucial importance of making every effort to achieve a solution to the Middle East conflict on the basis of the Quartet Road Map and the implementation of the Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East decided by the European Council in June 2004. The utmost effort must be made to contribute to the resolution of other existing or foreseeable conflicts and crises, such as those in Kosovo, Chechnya, Darfur, Somalia, the Great Lakes region, Iran and North Korea (DPRK), and to the pursuit of social progress in the world in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Elmar BROK (EPP-ED, DE). (Please see the document of 16/03/05.) The vote was adopted by 431 for, 85 against and 31 abstentions. Parliament asked the Council to ensure that its policy instruments, such as sanctions policy, are implemented with greater rigour and political commitment. The Council should also make every effort to give real substance to the Solidarity Clause for Defence provided for in the Constitutional Treaty as soon as that Treaty enters into force and a genuine and effective common foreign and security policy is in place.

In the context of the Security Strategy, Parliament emphasised the need to develop a corresponding security culture and therefore supported unreservedly the work now under way on implementing the EU training concept in the ESDP sphere. The development and setting-up of a European Security and Defence College must in future provide the institutions of the European Union and the Member States with well-trained staff who are capable of operating effectively in the ESDP sphere; to this end, the College must be organised on a viable basis and appropriately funded.

Parliament asked the Council to take immediate steps to correct the existing imbalance in geographical terms among the CFSP acts adopted in the last ten years, so that a fairer balance between the different regions can be achieved in accordance with the global ambitions of the Union. The Council should particularly strike a geographical balance between the efforts made so far eastwards due to enlargement and renewed efforts towards the south of the Mediterranean. However, it should avoid any cool gesture of diminished interest on the part of the EU for progress in the western Balkans, Ukraine and the southern Caucasus, at least.

Therefore, Parliament felt that steps should be taken by the Council to enable the EU to take advantage of the privileged relationships existing with certain geographical areas (via bi-regional, multilateral or bilateral association agreements, etc.), in order to reinforce its multilateral strength when dealing with other emerging countries and regions with which no such privileged relationships have yet been established. I ncreased priority must not be given to the EU's neighbourhood at the expense of crucial relations and solidarity between the EU and developing countries in the world.

Moving on, Parliament regretted that relations with China have made progress only in the trade and economic fields, without any substantial achievement as regards human rights and democracy issues. There must be a binding EU code governing arms exports. T he Council should not lift the arms embargo, but must find ways to encourage disarmament in cross-strait relations, supporting.

Parliament felt that it is important for the EU and the USA to have a constructive relationship and for NATO to become once again more of a forum for political debate on an equal footing, in which a sensible balance must be struck between the instruments of prevention, crisis management and military capability. It is vital to adopt common positions (EP-US Congress) on certain global issues of common interest (the fight against terrorism, regional conflicts, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disarmament, international law, effective multilateralism, energy cooperation, climate change, etc). Especially in 2005, the tenth anniversary of the Madrid Declaration, new impetus should be given to transatlantic relations - completion of the transatlantic market by 2015, updating of the New Transatlantic Agenda with a Transatlantic Partnership Agreement to enter into force as soon as possible.

Parliament considered that the EU as such should play a key role in the United Nations system, have a seat at the Security Council in future and support reform proposed by Kofi Annan.

Finally, Parliament insisted on the crucial importance of making every effort to achieve a solution to the Middle East conflict on the basis of the Quartet Road Map and the implementation of the Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East decided by the European Council in June 2004. The utmost effort must be made to contribute to the resolution of other existing or foreseeable conflicts and crises, such as those in Kosovo, Chechnya, Darfur, Somalia, the Great Lakes region, Iran and North Korea (DPRK), and to the pursuit of social progress in the world in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The committee adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Elmar BROK ( EPP-ED , DE ) in response to the annual report from the Council on the common foreign and security policy (CFSP).

On institutional matters, the committee rejected the Council's approach of simply informing Parliament of CFSP activity after the event in the annual report. It said that the Council should instead consult Parliament each year on the main choices to be made over the following 12 months. MEPs said that many of the innovations in foreign policy envisaged by the proposed EU Constitution could be put into practice already, with greater steps being taken to ensure the representation of the EU as a whole in international multinational organisations. They welcomed the creation of the European Defence Agency, but noted the importance of its being democratically accountable and transparent in all its work.

The committee supported the "civil-military holistic approach" of the EU Security Strategy. It stressed its strong belief that nuclear disarmament would contribute significantly to international security. The report said that the fight against terrorism should remain an EU priority and a key element of external policy.

Among individual issues raised in the report, the committee stressed the importance of decisions on the final status of Kosovo, progress in the Middle East peace process, close cooperation with the USA and with Russia , and the situation in Iraq , Iran , North Korea and Afghanistan . The committee also called for the arms embargo on China to be maintained.