European People’s Party calls for a “united foreign policy” of the EU

The European People's Party (EPP) agreed at a conference of its Convention group in Petersberg, Bonn, that a united foreign policy is now a political imperative for the EU in the light of the Iraqi crisis which has shown that "Europe’s foreign policy is characterised by division, and even complete inefficiency".

The EPP group makes the following recommendations for a united foreign policy:

• It is to be a constitutional duty of all EU Member Sates to define and observe the common interest in all foreign and security policy matters, and to subject all such matters to a common institutional process at the level of the EU, allowing for joint decisions and permanent consultations.
• Qualified majority voting is to be the rule in all matters of foreign and security policy with the exception of matters with military implications. In military matters, Member States that are willing to co-operate closer may do so using the method of reinforced co-operation.
• The EU is to have a European Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is to be a member of the European Commission with full voting rights. The European Foreign Minister is to chair the sessions of the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers.
• A Diplomatic Service of the EU is to be created. The officials of this Diplomatic Service are to be recruited both from the European Commission and the national foreign ministries.
• The Commission should be the only operational administration of the EU.
• The European foreign and security policy should be financed from the EU budget.