The EU must act decisively to define and defend its interests in the world, the MEPs conclude after a comprehensive debate.

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has sparked a chain of shocks in the global economy and added pressure on countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership, the European Parliament warns in two reports adopted during the February second Plenary.

This new geopolitical context jeopardises the EU’s security, according to a report assessing the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Subsequently the MEPs intend to reform the neighbourhood policy and accelerate the enlargement process, while advancing institutional and decision-making reforms, including a roadmap for future work by the summer of 2024. They urge the EU to improve its capacity to act in response to global negative trends and events, and argue better crisis management requires a stronger role for the European Parliament as the only elected EU institution with entrusted by the citizens mandate.

“This legislature’s final CFSP report emphasises that the EU must work even harder to become a serious and independent geopolitical player”, – the rapporteur David McAllister (EPP, Germany) said. – “We must combine a revitalised enlargement policy with institutional reforms, closer cooperation with multilateral organisations, and strengthened bilateral partnerships. The adopted text should serve as a guide for the priorities of the next Commission and High Representative.”

In the context of the U.S. – China intense competition the Parliament is concerned about the increasing relevance of more exclusive formats of cooperation and emphasises that traditional multilateral forums – in particular the UN and its agencies, should be the EU’s preferred format of cooperation.

Stronger bilateral and regional partnerships enable the EU to assert its interests globally, MEPs say, who favour cooperation with partners, both in the neighborhood and further afield, to defend the rules-based-order. MEPs believe principled and selective engagement with China will constitute the most pressing challenge for the EU in the long term.

Regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the resolution condemns the Israeli military’s disproportionate response, which has caused a civilian death toll on an unprecedented scale, and calls for a permanent ceasefire so that aid can be provided to civilians in the Gaza Strip.

The report was adopted by 338 votes in favour, 86 against and 122 abstentions.

From Anna Van Densky, Strasbourg