12 Common Foreign and Security Policy,
including Common Security and Defence Policy
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision | Cleared from scrutiny; drawn to the attention of the Foreign Affairs Committee
|
| Document details | High Representative's Annual Report: Main Aspects and Basic Choices of CFSP 2013
|
| Legal base | —
|
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
Summary and Committee's conclusions
12.1 Under Article 36 TEU (previously Article 21 TEU), the European
Parliament is to be consulted regularly by the High Representative
of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President
of the Commission (HR/VP) Baroness Ashton, on the main aspects
and basic choices of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy
(CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP); to be kept
informed of how these policies evolve; and to have its views "duly
taken into account".
12.2 Thus the Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA)
of 2 December 2013, part II, point E, paragraph 25, provides that,
each year, the High Representative shall consult the European
Parliament on a forward-looking document, which will set out the
main aspects and basic choices of the CFSP, including the financial
implications for the general budget of the European Union, an
evaluation of the measures launched in the year n-1 and an assessment
of the coordination and complementarity of CFSP with the Union's
other external financial instruments.
The 2013 Report
12.3 The report is
(as normal) a non-binding report that seeks to summarise the main
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security
and Defence Policy (CSDP) activities for the year 2013.
12.4 This Council report describes the main CFSP
decisions and activities undertaken in 2013 by EU Member States,
and by the EEAS on their behalf. It has been agreed by the Political
and Security Committee,[31]
and is due to be noted at the July Foreign Affairs Council.
12.5 Part One, Looking Back at 2013, is divided into
six sections:
· Overview
of Activities by Regions;
· Addressing
Threats and Global Challenges;
· Contribution
to a More Effective Multilateral Order;
· Support
to Democracy, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law and
the Rule of Law;
· Comprehensive
Approach, Conflict Prevention, Mediation and Crisis Response;
and
· Common
Security and Defence Policy.
12.6 Part Two is focussed on looking ahead to 2014.
In addition, there are five annexes: Annex I gives an overview
of CFSP legal acts concerning restrictive measures in 2013; Annex
II sets out the appearances of the High Representative/Vice-President
before the European Parliament in 2013; Annex III details the
appearances of Senior EEAS Representatives before the European
Parliament in 2013; Annex IV details the CFSP budget for 2013;
and Annex V lists the Statements and Declarations that were made
in 2013.
12.7 The Committee, and thus the House, is familiar
with much of the content of this Report via the legislative actions
and accompanying Explanatory Memoranda submitted to it by the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Nonetheless, we consider that
this comprehensive annual overview continues to warrant reporting
to the House, illustrating as it does the breadth of EU CFSP and
CSDP activity. We are grateful to the Minister for Europe (Mr
David Lidington) for his helpful summary.
12.8 As noted above, the report emanates from
the right of the European Parliament to be informed and consulted
about EU CFSP and CSDP activity. But it is the Member States
who remain in charge. The December 2013 European Council Conclusions,
which were the outcome of the first occasion since the entry into
force of the Lisbon Treaty upon which the European Council held
a thematic debate on defence, set the framework for 2014 and beyond.
12.9 With regard to the EU's Common Security and
Defence Policy (CSDP), the Conclusions said that it will "continue
to develop in full complementarity with NATO in the agreed framework
of the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO and in compliance
with the decision-making autonomy and procedures of each".
12.10 With regard to CFSP, the Council refers
to "the EU's unique ability to combine, in a consistent manner,
policies and tools ranging from diplomacy, security and defence
to finance, trade, development and justice", and sees further
improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the EU Comprehensive
Approach, including as it applies to EU crisis management, as
a priority.[32]
12.11 The Council also reaffirms the EU's full
commitment to working in close collaboration with its global,
transatlantic and regional partners, in a spirit of mutual reinforcement
and complementarity; and emphasises the importance of supporting
partner countries and regional organisations, through providing
training, advice, equipment and resources where appropriate, so
that they can increasingly prevent or manage crises by themselves.
The Council also invited the Member States, the High Representative
and the Commission to ensure the greatest possible coherence between
the Union's and Member States' actions to this effect.
12.12 We continue to see the EEAS' role as being
to support and complement the FCO's efforts to advance British
international objectives, focusing on issues where its intervention
and Europe acting collectively can make a real difference —
in support of national efforts — to the prosperity and security
of both the UK and Europe, and properly respecting the role of
the Member States. The immediate challenge is to ensure that
this is achieved with regard to the proposed Council Directive
on consular protection for citizens of the Union abroad.[33]
12.13 In November, a new High Representative will
be appointed. One of the outstanding issues that will then need
to be resolved concerns whether, post-Lisbon, the EU Special Representative
(EUSR) as a "concept" is to be continued or (as the
EU High Representative has proposed) absorbed into the EEAS —
the consequence being that Member States would no longer be able
to approve the mandates of what are effectively the Council's
special envoys to a variety of trouble spots affecting EU and
national interests, or the job holder. Instead, such "special
envoys" would effectively represent the High Representative/EEAS,
and not the Member States through the Council. Once that new
HR has been appointed, in November 2013, we have already asked
the Minister to write (no later than mid-January 2015 and sooner
if appropriate) with his own thoughts on the February 2015 round
of mandate renewals and his assessment of the likely way forward
for the EUSR concept as a whole. In the meantime, the Committee
again endorses what the Minister has said thus far about the need
for Member States to retain at least their present degree of control
over the establishment of each position, the mandate and the job-holder.
12.14 As the Minister will recall, both this Committee
and its predecessor have long argued the case for shifting from
activity analysis of CSDP missions to assessing outcomes and value
for money. We accordingly welcome his and his officials' sustained
focus on value for money and results on the ground, and look forward
to seeing this continuing to be reflected in future submissions
on current and future missions.
12.15 We have continued our discussions with the
Minister about the "upstream" scrutiny of CFSP and CSDP
— i.e., the points at which policy decisions are taken that
then result in the legislative actions that are submitted for
scrutiny — as part of our inquiry on European Scrutiny in
the House. We have referred on previous occasions to the assurance
given in May 2008 by the previous Foreign Secretary, that the
Government was "committed to the principle of upstream scrutiny",
his recognition "that, for scrutiny to be effective, your
Committee needs to be able to examine the EU policy-making process
at the earliest possible stage", and his support for "being
as open as possible regarding the context of the Conclusions and
the general position that the UK will be taking in Council".[34]
12.16 We acknowledge in particular the Minister's
endeavours to keep the Committee informed about prospective CSDP
missions, and also the difficulty of complying with scrutiny requirements
in the case of EU restrictive measures in fast-moving situations
(such as the Ukraine crisis) and where the need to prevent pre-emptive
action by those concerned has to be given priority (e.g., asset
freezes). However, bearing in mind the need to avoid the Committee
being presented with any of the "surprises" that its
predecessor said, in 2009, should be avoided, there remain areas
of continuing concern, which we shall be discussing with the Minister
at an evidence session on 16 July.
12.17 We now clear the High Representative's report.
Full details of
the document: Main aspects
and basic choices of the CFSP (Part II, point E, paragraph 25
of the Inter-institutional Agreement of 2 December 2013) —
Draft Annual report from the High Representative of the European
Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European
Parliament: (36178), —.
Background
12.18 In its introduction, the report describes 2013
as a significant year for the EU's Common Foreign and Security
Policy (CFSP). It says that the European External Action Service
(EEAS), led by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the Commission (HR/VP)
Catherine Ashton, "played a substantial role in two landmark
diplomatic breakthroughs: the Belgrade-Pristina agreement and
an agreement with Iran on a Joint Plan of Action on its nuclear
programme". The EU used its range of tools — CFSP
and non-CFSP — "to tackle crises in a comprehensive
way and to alleviate their impact on the countries concerned and
on Europe", underpinning its diplomacy through new and existing
Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions on the ground
and through development aid for those in need, working closely
with our international, regional and local partners.
12.19 The introduction goes on to note that:
"Throughout the year, the EU endeavoured
to maintain a genuinely global reach by supporting peace, democracy,
the rule of law and human rights. Whether it be helping Europe's
immediate neighbours in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North
Africa, helping stabilise the Horn of Africa or supporting the
democratic transition in Myanmar/Burma, we played a positive and
constructive international role. In Syria, we were the largest
donor and worked to support UN mediation efforts. Around the world,
from Jordan, Kenya to Pakistan, the EU sent observers to elections
to promote the spread of democracy. To ensure aim at wider effectiveness
in meeting current threats and challenges, we intensified as much
as possible cooperation with our regional and strategic partners.
The EU's contribution to global peace and security is apparent
in a number of areas. First, we are directly involved in —
and indeed often lead — international peace negotiations
on behalf of the international community, for example between
Belgrade and Pristina and in the Iran nuclear talks. Second, we
can assemble a wide range of tools — such as diplomacy,
civil and military missions, economic tools —
to tackle important foreign policy challenges using what we
call the 'comprehensive approach'. The EU has the instruments
— and in sufficient strength — to make a credible
impact such as in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. Third, we work
closely with — and materially support — international
and regional partners to deal with regional challenges where only
collective efforts can deliver results, such as climate change
and disaster relief."
12.20 The report also notes that:
"despite the economic difficulties Europe
has experienced, the EU did not succumb to the temptation to turn
inwards. Instead the HR, the Commission, the 28 Member States
and the European Parliament worked together to keep the EU visible,
credible and relevant in a turbulent world. Two new CSDP missions
were launched in 2013: EU Training Mission in Mali to train Malian
armed forces and EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya to build
the capacity of Libyan government to manage its land, air and
sea borders."
12.21 The report also sees "change in our strategic
environment and rising demands" as having given "a push
to accelerate the development of Common Security and Defence Policy",
noting that:
"The December 2013 European Council made
the point that defence matters and in its conclusions gave several
taskings to ensure progress in this field, ranging from defence
industry to capability development projects to the financing arrangements
for crisis management."[35]
12.22 Finally, the introduction highlights the July
2103 EEAS Review, which:
"saw that the EEAS had developed into a
modern and operational foreign policy service, equipped to promote
EU interests and values. However, the Review process also identified
a number of issues where further work is necessary in order to
make the HR/VP and the service more effective in the future."
The Minister's Explanatory Memorandum of 2 July
2014
12.23 The Minister recalls in his Explanatory Memorandum
of 23 August 2012 on the 2012 Report:
"I made a statement that the UK intends
to utilise the collective weight of the EU through the EEAS to
achieve the UK's foreign policy objectives. Although the landscape
of foreign policy in 2013 was constantly shifting, the UK acted
decisively in coordination with EU Member States and Institutions
to achieve some notable successes in line with UK objectives.
These included the progress made in nuclear talks with Iran, and
returning the decision on whether to send arms to the moderate
opposition in Syria to Member States."
12.24 The Minister says that, as the report is nearly
200 pages, he has summarised areas of interest and primacy, as
follows:
SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD, MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
AND ARABIAN PENINSULA
"The report analyses the developments that
have occurred in the Southern Neighbourhood, the Middle East,
and the Arabian Peninsula over the last year. The report points
to progress made in some areas, such as on the nuclear talks with
Iran, and positive developments in Tunisia, and stresses the difficulties
the region still faces, in particular Syria, the Middle East Peace
Process, and Egypt. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the EU
continued to support the transition to democracy in the countries
in the Southern Neighbourhood.
IRAN
"The report notes the role played by the
High Representative and the EEAS, who have continued to co-ordinate
the E3+3 (UK, France, Germany and China, Russia and the United
States) position in negotiations. The UK is playing a significant
role in these negotiations. Iran and the E3+3 re-launched nuclear
talks in September, following the election of President Rouhani
on 14 June 2013. An interim six-month agreement, the Joint Plan
of Action, was agreed on 24 November 2013. Implementation of the
Joint Plan of Action, including limited EU sanctions relief, began
on 20 January 2014, marked by a decision of the EU Council.
"In return for taking restrictive measures
on its nuclear programme, Iran was granted limited sanctions relief,
though the bulk of EU, US and UN sanctions remain on Iran. This
interim agreement has created the opportunity for negotiations
with Iran on a comprehensive nuclear deal. Intensive negotiations
continue with the aim of reaching agreement by 20 July, when the
interim deal expires (although the Joint Plan of Action can be
rolled over for a further six months, with mutual consent).
SYRIA
"The situation in Syria further deteriorated
over the course of 2013. Fighting intensified, including between
rebel groups and al-Qaeda affiliated groups; chemical weapons
were used by the Assad regime; and the humanitarian situation
worsened. By the end of 2013, an estimated 100,000 people had
died, and the number of refugees was over 2 million. Politically,
the EU supported the efforts of the UN and worked closely with
the UN-League of Arab States envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. The
EU supported the diplomatic efforts on chemical weapons, led by
Russia and the US, to agree the destruction of the Assad regime's
stockpiles, and provided financial and logistical assistance to
the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons. The EU was the largest donor of humanitarian and development
aid, including supporting refugees. The EU also continued
to support Lebanon in dealing with the massive influx of refugees
from Syria.
"In April, the Foreign Affairs Council amended
the oil and banking restrictions on Syria to exempt the National
Coalition from its provisions, allowing it to generate funds for
civilians and the political opposition. The sanctions package
was renewed in May, with the exception of the arms embargo. The
UK successfully pushed through a change returning decisions on
whether to send arms to the moderate opposition in Syria to EU
Member States, with agreed safeguards. In December, the EU amended
the derogation allowing frozen regime funds to be unfrozen for
humanitarian assistance, ensuring such funds could only be released
to the UN Syria appeals.
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
"The EU continued to prioritise the Middle
East Peace Process, supporting the US efforts which led to the
resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians
in July. In December, the EU put forward an offer of an unprecedented
package of political, economic and security support to both parties
in the event of a final status deal.
EGYPT
"The section on Egypt details the contacts
the High Representative had with Egyptian leaders in 2013, both
before and after the removal from office of the previous President,
Mr Morsi, on 3 July. Baroness Ashton was the only non-Egyptian
leader to be allowed to meet Mr Morsi in prison.
"An extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council
meeting on 21 August 2013 adopted Conclusions that condemned the
violence and called for an end to the state of emergency, the
release of political prisoners, restoration of the democratic
process and respect for human rights. The EU was invited by the
interim government to observe the constitutional referendum and
sent a team of senior election experts to the poll, which was
held on 14-15 January 2014.
RUSSIA, EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD AND CENTRAL ASIA
"The Vilnius Summit on the Eastern Partnership
on 28-29 November was overshadowed by then President Yanukovych's
decision not to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement including
a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. This triggered significant
protests within Ukraine, and in 2014 President Yanukovych fled
the country and a government of national unity was formed. Developments
within Ukraine, including Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea
led to a re-assessment of the EU's relationship with Russia, and,
more generally, the EU's policy in the Eastern Neighbourhood.
The Vilnius Summit did, however, see the initialling of the Association
Agreements, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas,
with Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. A Visa Facilitation
Agreement was also signed with Azerbaijan, a Framework Agreement
for Participation in CSDP missions with Georgia, and the EU initialled
a Common Aviation Area Agreement with Ukraine.
WESTERN BALKANS
"Two major achievements in the region were
Croatia joining the European Union on 1 July, and the EU-facilitated
Serbia-Kosovo Agreement in April 2013, in which Baroness Ashton
played a crucial role, leading a series of Dialogue meetings between
the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo. Following the Agreement,
the two sides worked intensively to implement it. In recognition
of the progress made, accession negotiations with Serbia were
opened in June, and a date for the formal launch of negotiations
agreed in December. Similarly, negotiations on a Stabilisation
and Association Agreement with Kosovo started in October, following
the adoption of a negotiating mandate by the Council in June.
"Progress towards long-term political stability
in Bosnia and Herzegovina has stalled, with their political leaders
failing to find a political agreement on the implementation of
the European Court on Human Right's
ruling in the Sejdiæ/Finci case, or to
implement other reforms.
TURKEY AND WESTERN EUROPE
"The EU continued to work closely on a number
of issues with Turkey, recognising its important role with respect
to Syria, in particular its provision of support to people fleeing
the conflict, as well as its role in the wider region. In addition,
the EU continued to press Turkey to support the negotiations on
the settlement in Cyprus. As a candidate country, the Council
reaffirmed the importance it attaches to relations with Turkey
and called for the regained momentum in the accession negotiations
to be sustained.
"The EU was concerned about the excessive
use of force by police and the overall absence of dialogue during
the protests in May and June 2013, and made statements to that
effect.
"The major development with the non-EU Western
European countries was Iceland putting on hold its accession negotiations
in May 2013. In the CFSP area, cooperation deepened with cooperation
provided by Norway and Switzerland in particular on a number of
CSDP missions, including EULEX Kosovo, EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and EUFOR
Althea.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
"Developments in Asia were marked by a significant
improvement in the political situation in Burma. The EU supported
the reforms in Burma which, following improvements in the situation,
led to the lifting of virtually all restrictive measures. The
EU adopted the Comprehensive Framework for its policy and support
to Burma, which identifies the EU's goals and priorities until
2015. In addition, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
collected the 1990 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought at the
European Parliament in October.
"In contrast, developments in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continued to pose serious concerns,
both with regard to proliferation matters and human rights violations.
The EU raised these issues at every opportunity both bilaterally
and in multilateral fora. The EU condemned the DPRK's third nuclear
test in February 2013 and transposed the new set of UN Security
Council sanctions approved in March. The EU co-initiated with
Japan a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council establishing
a Commission of inquiry on human rights in the DPRK, which issued
its final report in February 2014.
"In China, 2013 marked the completion of
the Chinese leadership transition. The EU established links with
the new administration, and agreed the EU-China 2020 Strategic
Agenda for Cooperation, which focuses especially on strategic
issues, investment, innovation, urbanisation, climate change and
environmental protection, people-to-people exchanges as well as
defence and security matters. The trade in goods and services
between the EU and China reached almost half a trillion euros
in value in 2013, not far from the current value of EU trade in
goods with the United States. The EU continued to raise human
rights issues with China.
AFRICA
"Following the attack by terrorist groups
in Mali, the EU provided crucial support, including to those African
countries providing troops for the UN-African Union mandated African-led
International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). The EU launched
a military Training Mission, EUTM Mali, which trained four battalions
of the Malian armed forces in 2013.
"In addition, under the African Peace Facility,
the EU continued to provide significant financial support to the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The EU continued to
actively implement its Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa.
"The deteriorating security, political and
humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic was a cause
for concern. The EU and its Member States quadrupled their humanitarian
assistance to the Central African Republic in 2013 compared to
the previous year, working closely with the UN and other agencies
to maximize assistance on the ground.
"The EU stepped up its activities and presence
in Somalia, with a more direct engagement with the Somali Federal
Government and regional authorities, including hosting a high-level
conference, at which the international community endorsed the
Somali Compact and pledged 1.8 billion euros to support its implementation.
The Compact includes a political roadmap to federalise Somalia
and prepare elections in 2016, priorities and strategic plans
to develop the Somali security sector.
"EUCAP SAHEL Niger successfully finalised
its full establishment and a Status of Mission Agreement was signed
on July 30. The EU naval operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA continued
to lead the international fight against piracy, alongside NATO's
Operation Ocean Shield. In 2013, there were fewer than 10 attacks
off the Somali coast, with no merchant ship subject to piracy.
The EU Mission on Regional Maritime Capacity Building in the Horn
of Africa (EUCAP Nestor), which was launched in 2012, carried
out activities in 2013 in Djibouti, where it has its headquarters,
Somalia, Tanzania and Seychelles. EUTM Somalia's mandate was extended,
and transitioned to Mogadishu from its Uganda base, beginning
new military training and advisory activity to strengthen Somali
operational and strategic-level capacity.
AMERICAS
"The EU-US relationship continues to be
crucial, both in terms of the direct relationship, and also the
close cooperation that exists on other issues, such as Syria,
Iran, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Negotiations of the Transatlantic
Trade and Investment Partnership were launched in June 2013. Following
revelations of surveillance activities by the National Security
Agency, an ad hoc EU-US working group on data protection
was established. The EU-Canada relationship remains a priority.
The two sides are continuing negotiations on the Comprehensive
Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership
Agreement (SPA). The EU-CELAC Summit held in Santiago in January
2013 provided an opportunity for contacts at the highest political
level between EU and many Latin and Central American states.
CSDP
"The report focuses on the current horizontal
issues, which featured heavily in the December European Council
on security and defence.
"The Council committed to enhancing the
effectiveness of CSDP in contributing to international crisis
resolution and management. As part of the agenda on effectiveness,
the Council stressed the need, and is working on plans, to enhance
the development of both civilian and military capabilities, introduce
new procedures and rules to enable more flexibility and more rapid
deployment of missions, and new procedures for the political supervision
of the CFSP budget, allowing for greater priority setting. 2013
has also seen a reinforcement of the system for learning lessons
on CSDP, with a working group at expert level and a peer review
process put in place. The EU has also shown its commitment to
working with partners: there are now 11 non-EU countries participating
in CSDP missions; cooperation with Eastern partnership countries
has intensified, and the EU is cooperating closely with NATO ahead
of the NATO Summit in September 2014. Finally, the EU has been
making steady progress on its comprehensive approach to its external
actions.
"2013 saw the launch of the EU Border Assistance
Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya). This mission is providing
training and advice to Libyan authorities aimed at building the
capacity of Libyan government to manage its land, air and sea
borders. Two missions also closed: The EU Integrated Rule of Law
Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX-Iraq) was closed on 31 December 2013
having provided training, mentoring, monitoring and advising to
7000 officials of Iraq's criminal justice system, and, in October
2013, it was decided not to renew the mandate of EUAVSEC South
Sudan. During 2013, preparations were ongoing to close EUPOL DRC
in September 2014, while preserving and maintaining the achievements
of the missions with a long-term package of activities, conducted
in partnership with the DRC authorities, using available EU instruments
and resources.
"The EU Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL
Afghanistan) continued to support Afghan counterparts, in close
cooperation with international partners. The draw-down of
the international military presence in Afghanistan led to the
reduction of EUPOL's presence outside Kabul. In 2013, work was
also ongoing on plans to downsize EULEX Kosovo — the number
of staff will decrease from 1250 to 800 by October 2014 and it
will increase its focus on the north of the country. Mandate renewals
took place for EUMM Georgia, EUCAP Nestor in the Horn of Africa,
EUCAP Sahel Niger and the two missions in Palestine, EUPOL COPPS
and EUBAM Rafah."
Previous Committee Reports: None,
but see: (35266), —: Thirteenth Report HC 83-xiii (2013-14),
chapter 49 (4 September 2013).
31 PSC; the committee of ambassador-level officials
from national delegations who, by virtue of article 38 TEU, under
the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy (HR) and the Council, monitor the international
situation in areas covered by the CFSP and exercise political
control and strategic direction of crisis management operations,
as set out in article 43 TEU. Back
32
For the full text of the Council Conclusions on the Comprehensive
Approach, see pp17-21 at
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/142563.pdf Back
33
See (33569), 18821/11: Fifth Report HC 219-v (2014-15), chapter 6
(2 July 2014). Back
34
That discussion is set out fully in the previous Committee's Report
on the 2008 CFSP Report: see (30691) 10665/09: Twenty-third Report
HC 19-xxi (2008-09), chapter 7 (24 June 2009). Back
35
For the relevant Council Conclusions, see pp1-11 at http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/140245.pdf Back
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