16.03. 2011 Moment of Decision for the European Union’s Foreign Policy
Tunne Kelam, Member of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
By the 15th of March five days had passed from the adoption of the European Parliament’s resolution on
On March 15 I listened to Maciej Popowski, deputy to Catherine Ashton, explain the steps the EU is taking to help evacuate refugees, provide humanitarian assistance and to monitor the Libyan crisis. All this with a goal with the goal of achieving a „soft landing“ along with the creation of „added value“. At this moment, one sees the yawning gap between reality and the professed goals of the EU’s new common foreign policy.
In truth, one cannot blame Mr. Popowski. From the viewpoint of a high official he described the situation correctly when he stated that his superior, Baroness Ashton, cannot operate based upon her own understandings but has to take into consideration the wishes and differing opinions of the various EU Governments. „This is the reality which we have to face,“ he resumed to the members of the European Parliament.
However, one cannot ignore the other reality – the continuation of mass killings of people in
The time factor makes the problem even more dramatic. Seeking a legally perfect justification for international intervention requires the agreement of all international parties which takes up hundreds of hours, each of which is dripping with blood. Lithuanian MEP Vytautas Landsbergis did not hesitate to compare the Libyan uprising with the one in
The EU’s new foreign and security policy leaders are facing their greatest challenge. The traditional option is pointing to differences of opinion and is keeping to the lowest common denominator of agreement. This means making declarations and postponing actions. But what kind of impression would this kind of policy make on the hundreds of thousands of young arabs who have stood up for freedom and who are entotled to expect something more than good wishes from the European bulwark of democracy?
The other option is to exercise leadership, using this historic opprotunity to promote European values, economic reforms and good governance along with stability in
Finally we must realize that if the Libyan dictator, against all hopes, succeeds in crushing and liquidating the uprising, this will be a message to all authoritarian regimes in the world. A clear message that in the future, too, naked brutal force will prevail against citizens demanding reforms.
The generation of young arabs has proven that they can deal with dictators on their own. The EU, however, hasyet to prove that it takes its own core values seriously, just as the European Parliament’s resolution of March 10 mandates. Says the resolution: "the EU's positive impact and long-term credibility in the region will depend on its ability to conduct a cohesive common foreign policy that is value-based and clearly sides with the new democratic forces".
Only in this way can the EU create the added value of trust in a dramatically changing world.