63 Citizen Security Strategy for Central
America and the Caribbean
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision | Cleared from scrutiny
|
| Document details | Joint Staff Working Document: Action Plan
|
| Legal base | —
|
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
| Document numbers | (36830), 8521/15, SWD(15) 102
|
Summary and Committee's conclusions
63.1 In June 2014, the Council adopted an EU Strategy on Citizen
Security in Central America and the Caribbean (see "Background"
for details).
63.2 This further Joint Staff Working Document sets
out an EU Action Plan for the Strategy. The Action Plan is structured
around three main objectives:
— developing
a shared citizen security agenda with the region;
— strengthening the ability of governments
in the region to deliver quality public services; and
— fostering greater regional and international
operational cooperation in the fight against insecurity.
63.3 The Action Plan is intended to deliver a comprehensive
and coordinated EU contribution towards tackling the serious security
challenges facing the region. It aims to make use of the full
array of EU tools, including political dialogue, conflict prevention
development cooperation, humanitarian aid and trade policy, as
well as complement Member States' policies and activities. Action
is designed to focus on crime prevention and root causes, including
socio-economic development, education, issues arising from urbanisation
and human rights.
63.4 The intention is that this EU Action Plan would
will form part of a wider Action Plan that will be agreed at the
EU-CELAC Summit on 10-11 June in Brussels.[ 462]
63.5 The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
says that: the high level aims of the Action Plan are in line
with the UK's objectives; bringing the full range of EU tools
and to addressing these issues therefore has the potential to
support and complement UK work in the region; but careful co-ordination
will be needed between the European External Action Service (EEAS)
and the existing activities of Member States, so as to ensure
maximum impact.
63.6 Like the precursor Joint Communication, this
Action Plain raises no issues in and of itself, but warrants reporting
to the House nonetheless because of the degree of interest in
the region and the threats to its security, which the UK has for
many years been seeking to help its governments and regional organisations
confront and overcome. Otherwise, we, too, are content to leave
it to interested Members who may wish to do so, to pursue the
matter further via the many means at their disposal.
63.7 We now clear the Joint Staff Working Document.
Full
details of the documents: (36830), 8521/15,
SWD(15) 102: Joint Staff Working Document on Citizen Security
Strategy for Central America and the Caribbean Action Plan.
Background
63.8 The EU's "comprehensive approach"
to external conflict and crises is set out in the Joint Communication
on "The EU's Comprehensive Approach to External Conflict
and Crises" of December 2013. That Joint Communication was
one of several documents prepared ahead of the December 2013 European
Council, which was the first since 2007 to review that EU's Common
Foreign and Security Policy and defence activities. In December
2013, the European Council called for further steps to improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of the EU's comprehensive approach.
63.9 The subsequent May 2014 Foreign Affairs Council
Conclusions welcomed the Joint Communication as an important step
in this process. The "comprehensive approach" is predicated
upon the notion that European Union and its Member States:
"can bring to the international stage the unique
ability to combine, in a coherent and consistent manner, policies
and tools ranging from diplomacy, security and defence to finance,
trade, development and human rights, as well as justice and migration.
This contributes greatly to the Union's ability to play a positive
and transformative role in its external relations and as a global
actor."
63.10 The Council defines the "comprehensive
approach" as:
"both a general working method and a set of
concrete measures and processes to improve how the EU, based on
a common strategic vision and drawing on its wide array of existing
tools and instruments, collectively can develop, embed and deliver
more coherent and more effective policies, working practices,
actions and results."
63.11 The Council said that:
"Its fundamental principles are relevant for
the broad spectrum of EU external action" and that "[t]he
need for such a comprehensive approach is most acute in crisis
and conflict situations and in fragile states, enabling a rapid
and effective EU response, including through conflict prevention."[ 463]
63.12 The European Union considers itself a long-term
strategic partner of Latin America and the Caribbean. Overall
relations are governed by a strategic partnership that was last
renewed at the Summit of the EU and the Community of Latin America
and the Caribbean (CELAC) in January 2013.
63.13 The 2014 Joint Communication, Elements for
an EU strategy on public security in Central America and the Caribbean,
set out elements for an EU strategy on public security in Central
America and the Caribbean. The strategy aims to adopt a "comprehensive
approach" to the challenges facing the region, placing citizens'
security at the heart, and is accordingly intended to promote
greater efficiency and improved co-ordination in delivering EU
support to the region. In so doing, it aims to enhance relations
on a sub-regional basis, so as to develop a shared public security
agenda with the region as part of an overall political and development
partnership with the EU. The strategy is intended to strengthen
the capacity of governments in the region to help tackle insecurity,
while upholding human rights and boosting prevention policies.
It is also aimed at fostering regional and international cooperation,
so as to deal with the transnational dimension of public security
threats.
63.14 The previous Committee concluded that, although
the proposed EU Strategy — plainly a "good fit"
with both ongoing regional initiatives and bilateral programmes
— raised no issues in and of itself, a report to the House
was nonetheless warranted because of the degree of interest in
the region and the threats to its security, which — as the
Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) noted — the UK
has for many years been seeking to help its governments and regional
organisations confront and overcome.[ 464]
Previous
Committee Reports
None, but see Joint Communication: Elements
for an EU strategy on public security in Central America and the
Caribbean: (36061), 10108/14: JOIN(14) 21: Sixth Report HC
219-vi (2014-15), chapter 9 (9 July 2014).
462 CELAC = Community of Latin America and the Caribbean.
EU-CELAC summits bring together European, Latin American and Caribbean
leaders to strengthen relations between both regions, and are
the main fora for dialogue and cooperation between Europe, and
Latin American and Caribbean states. The second EU-CELAC / 8th
EU-LAC summit was be held in Brussels on 10-11 June 2015 under
the theme: "Shaping our common future: working for prosperous,
cohesive and sustainable societies for our citizens". See
Political declaration, Brussels declaration and action plan of
the 2nd EU-CELAC summit for the outcome. Back
463 Council Conclusions on the Comprehensive Approach, see pp.17-21. Back
464 See Sixth Report HC 219-vi (2014-15), chapter 9 (9 July 2014). Back
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