Second, the three major EU member states -- France, Germany and the UK -- should be granted permanent seats. The three would thus receive the status they strive for, within a larger structure and without acting as a self-appointed directoire.
Representation of other EU member states in an ESC would have to take into account their populations, economies and military clout, which would allow an appropriate role and standing to such countries as Italy, Spain and Poland. These and other EU members could rotate in the non-permanent seats.
Other ESC members could enhance their participation by forming groups based on geographical proximity or political criteria (non-NATO EU members could share a seat). In a different regional context, for instance, Argentina and Brazil recently agreed to coordinate the latter's term as non-permanent member in the UN Security Council this year and next. Finally, the European Commission should receive a seat.
An ESC would act as a permanent advisory body for the future European foreign minister, contributing to building consensus inside and outside the union. It would be ready to react rapidly in crisis situations, executing decisions that represent a common European viewpoint. The foreign minister and a ESC would have to be allowed to use all available European leverage to the fullest.
The driving force behind this scheme is the need for political instruments to reflect current power realities. EU member states -- even the most powerful -- cannot deliver on global issues such as the fight against terrorism, political reconstruction of the Middle East, the fight against poverty and protection of the environment unless they agree on basic principles for common action.
Those principles must then be implemented effectively. It is overly optimistic to pretend that today's EU institutions can implement such principles, because they do not represent the prevailing power realities. If Europeans continue to build institutions that seek to satisfy all EU member states, they -- individually and collectively -- will be doomed to play a minor role on the global stage.
Antonio Missiroli and Martin Ortega are research fellows at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris.
CPYRIGHT: PROJECT SYNDICATE
RSS