UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2018-19 (1. samling), Udenrigsudvalget 2018-19 (1. samling), Forsvarsudvalget 2018-19 (1. samling)
UPN Alm.del Bilag 170, URU Alm.del Bilag 164, FOU Alm.del Bilag 80
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Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy

and the Common Security and Defence Policy

Bucharest, 7

–

8 March 2019

Opening session

The Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy

and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP), which took place on

7th and 8th of March 2019 in Bucharest, was attended by 119 parliamentarians from

27 EU Member States, the European Parliament, and observers. The Conference

covered important topics, such as: the Eastern Partnership, the importance of the

Black Sea on the EU agenda,

CSDP’s

mechanism and instruments, as well as the

EU commitment to the Western Balkan. Four workshops dealt with the future of

CFSP/CSDP from Brexit perspective, EU Strategy for the Danube Region, cyber

security and hybrid warfare, and military mobility.

In his welcoming address,

Mr. Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu,

President of the

Romanian Senate,

stated that parliaments need to be more decisive players in the

European eastern and southern neighbourhoods in order to assure that the

European partners have the means to promote and defend democracy, freedom and

human dignity. Mr.

Tăriceanu welcomed the determination, perseverance and

courage demonstrated by the political and civic actors that have enabled the

implementation of the Prespa Agreement - an important cornerstone of peace and

security in South-Eastern Europe. He called for the Western Balkan countries to

overcome their differences so that the European Union’s sustainable commitment to

internal and external reconciliation may be reconfirmed as preconditions for EU

membership. Mr. Tăriceanu

emphasized

that the Black Sea region is one of the most

important to EU security, a reason for European institutions to increase their visibility

in policies and adopt a clearer and better-articulated regional approach. He stated

that the militarisation of the Azov Sea is an aspect of aggression and violation of

international law that threatens the security of the entire region. He highlighted that

Romania has consistently acted to influence positively the course of the Republic of

Moldova towards EU accession also by supporting national efforts to bring the

Moldovan institutions up to European standards, as well as by strengthening cultural,

economic and social interconnections. Furthermore, Mr

Tăriceanu called

for the

group of friends of the Republic of Moldova to continue to be active in the changing

post-electoral political context. He also underlined that cyber-attacks and threats of

hybrid war are important challenges that has to be met in common and for which

appropriate responses should be prepared through the Common Security and

Defence Policy.

Mr. Florin Iordache, Vice-President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies,

stated that during the presidency of the EU Council, Romania took important steps to

support and strengthen the EU global role: promoting the enlargement policy and

EU's action in the neighbourhood, continuing to support the implementation of the

EU’s Global Strategy,

as well as supporting actions in the field of defence capacity

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

building and security of the EU, in close complementarity with similar NATO

processes.

Mr. Ioan Mircea Pașcu,

Vice-President of the European Parliament,

underlined

that the future elections could represent the milestone in European history and will

define the future direction of the European continent in regards to the CFSP. He

expressed his deep conviction that the EU should strengthen the CFSP, by

protecting its principles and by promoting its values on the world stage. Mr.

Pașcu

called for Member States to stand firm together by not allowing Russia’s moves to

intimidate MS and to undermine European unity. The EU has to reform its decision-

making process in the field of foreign policy.

Moreover, Mr. Pașcu stressed that

and UK should cooperate in all the possible domains. Finally, he stressed the

importance of supporting the Western Balkan states as well as those of the Eastern

Partnership. The Prespa Agreement is a victory and should be an inspiration for all.

Mr. Cristian Dumitrescu, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the

Romanian Senate,

highlighted the need to strengthen the EU's role as a global

actor by ensuring peace and strengthening the European continent's security, work

that needs to be continued by the new European Commission and the new

European Parliament.

Session I

The first session, moderated by

Mr Dan Dungaciu, President of the Black Sea

University Foundation,

was dedicated to the

Eastern Partnership - 10 years of

European aspirations.

Mr Teodor

Meleşcanu,

Romania`s Minister of Foreign Affairs,

presented an

overview of the Romanian Presidency focus on the Eastern Partnership (EaP), 10

years after its launching: preparing the next level of commitments that should be

confirmed politically at the upcoming EaP Summit in 2020; the implementation of the

Association Agreements/ Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements and of

the visa free regimes signed 5 years ago with the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and

Ukraine; the innovative Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation

Agreement (CEPA) concluded with Armenia; negotiations on a new framework

Agreement for further deepening cooperation with Azerbaijan - the progress gives

hopes for a successful conclusion rather soon; the negotiations on EU-Belarus

Partnership Priorities - a proof of an increased and constructive engagement with

Belarus. Mr Meleşcanu underlined that Romania,

as EU Council Presidency, is

keenly engaged in promoting the global role of the EU, including a robust European

action in the Eastern Neighbourhood - by a series of sectoral ministerial meetings,

aimed to mark concrete results in response to concrete needs of the citizens, notably

by promoting interconnection projects in priority area, such as: telecom, energy,

transport, business. He emphasized that the European joint effort for advancing the

Eastern Partnership objectives while also offering tailor-made approaches does pay

off to all of the European partners. The Eastern Partnership is not only a priority of

the Romanian Presidency of the Council; it is a priority of the EU.

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

Mr. Thomas Mayr Harting, Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia,

European External Action Service (EEAS)

emphasised that the achievement of

the EaP in the past 10 years was the contribution in strengthening the resilience of

the region. He presented an overview of the key principles that guide EU in the

region and the achievements in strengthening the economic sectors, i.e. promoting

SMEs, connectivity - energy security and energy efficiency, people-to-people

contacts, strengthening governance. He stated that, while more-for-more is one of

the key principles of the EaP, there are discussions for less-for-less: if some partners

lack behind in achieving progress, if the principles they have committed to are not

being fulfilled, if there are negative developments with regard the rule of law, then

the discussion regarding the less-for-less is unavoidable. There is no consensus

among MS in the Council for EU membership. It is in the interest of everyone for a

partnership of six: three associate partners and three partners with more tailored-

made ambitions - the most remarkable progress was achieved in the second group.

Further work can be done with Ukraine and Georgia within the framework of

association agreements: digital sector, energy, customs, roaming.

Titus Corlăţean, senator and Romania`s former Minister of Foreign Affairs,

made a brief overview of the EaP achievements and the next steps to undertake. He

recalled that security and stability it is of equal importance for both the partners and

the EU. Mr.

Corlăţean stated that continuous engagement towards all partners must

remain a strategic objective and 2019 should mark the beginning of a real and

substantial reflexion period on the future of EaP.

The

subsequent debate

focused on the current challenges facing the region, and

the need to strengthen the resilience and the societal structures of the EaP

countries.

Session II

The second working session, moderated

by Iulian Chifu, President of the Conflict

Prevention Centre and Early Warning,

focused on

The strategic importance of

the Black Sea on the EU agenda.

Ioan Mircea Pașcu,

Vice-President of the European Parliament,

underlined

the economic and military importance of the Black Sea and NATO's assumed role in

the region in the context of the Crimean events in 2014. In his opinion, the European

Union must pay more attention to this region and use the full range of instruments,

such as crisis prevention and management, as well as military means to ensure the

security of this area.

Gabriel Beniamin Leș,

Romanian Minister of National Defence,

focused on

the security and defence aspects of the Black Sea area. Given the severity of the

threats and challenges of the region, he pointed out that the EU has a unique ability

to bring together multiple instruments, emphasizing the need for a European

strategic vision for the Black Sea region to overcome the fragmented approaches.

Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, future Director EU SATCEN,

emphasized that EU

should use all current available instruments in a coherent and coordinated approach

- an EU interagency Black Sea focus framework. Furthermore, he pointed out that

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

EU-NATO cooperation offers great opportunity for synergies and complementarities

and can come with a combination of hard, smart and soft power with the aim of

achieving competitive advantages and to achieve coordination on strategic

approaches, policies and operational plans, capabilities development and strategic

communication.

The interventions in the

subsequent debate

highlighted the similarities between the

Baltic Sea region and the Black Sea region, the enhanced cooperation EU - NATO

on resilience and hybrid threats, while avoiding duplication, and the need to develop

smart capabilities.

Session III

The third working session, moderated

by Ambassador Mihnea Motoc, Deputy

Director General of the European Political Strategy Centre, European

Commission,

focused

the

CSDP

triangle:

CARD-PESCO-EDF,

complementary and mutually reinforcing tools supporting Member States’

efforts in enhancing defence capabilities.

Mr Jorge Domecq, the Executive Chief of the European Defence Agency,

had

an overview of the implementation and the coherence of the initiatives. These

initiatives represent the centre of the defence planning process, and their coherence

should be consolidated and integrated in the national defence planning system.

Europe should implement needed projects, avoid duplication and ensure

consistency. Concerning the European Defence Fund (EDF), the budgetary

allocation for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework makes the EU the fourth

biggest investor in European defence.

Mr Andrei Ignat, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for Armaments,

Romanian Ministry of Defence,

focused on the latest prioritisation instruments for

defence research, technology and innovation and provided an update on the

achievements of Romanian Presidency in delivering key sector legislation in the area

of European defence. He highlighted the importance of using the European Defence

Fund (EDF) to achieve the fusion between national and EU priorities on joint

research and joint development of defence products and technologies, thus fostering

synergies and cost-effectiveness. EDF contributes to the European strategic

autonomy, promoting cooperation, and advocated for more use of the potential and

the expertise of national research units, giving as an example of successful

institutional framework, the Romanian Agency for Military Technology.

Mr Arnout MOLENAAR, Senior expert in Defence Policy Matters and Head of

Division CMPD.2 "Capabilities concepts, training and exercises" within the

European External Action Service (EEAS),

made an overview regarding the

structural deficit that Europe faces in the defence sector and the fragmentation of the

defence investments. The goal of using available instruments is to ensure coherence

and complementarily with NATO.

The subsequent discussions

touched upon the parliamentary control of EDF, EU -

NATO articulation in running European defence initiatives, the role of bilateral

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

agreements, European strategic autonomy, as well as establishing feasible cross-

country cooperation, even with junior partner Member States.

Session IV

The fourth session, moderated by

Ms Norica Nicolai, Member of the European

Parliament,

was dedicated to the theme entitled

A credible perspective for

enlargement and a strengthened EU commitment to the Western Balkans.

Victor Boștinaru

Member of the European Parliament

underlined that in the

last few years, the countries of the Western Balkans have made important progress

with regard to stability and security and, in this respect, Serbia and Montenegro have

registered good results in their accession negotiations, but there are still unsolved

aspects. The EU must offer a credible accession perspective in order to continue

internal reforms, the democratization process and the strengthening of the rule of

law. Without it, an unstable political environment can affect the western Balkan

states, which leads to crises, nationalism and confrontation. He concluded that the

progress made by the countries in the Western Balkans should be noticed.

Tanja Miščević,

Chief of the Negociating Team for Accession of the

Republic of Serbia to the EU,

emphasized that the EU must appreciate the major

changes which have taken place in the Western Balkan countries and their wish to

consolidate the constructive dialogue among partners. In spite of the bilateral

disputes, the reconciliation in the region is very important. She also made a short

presentation of the current relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Mr Konstantinos Douzinas, Chair of the Committee on defence and foreign

affairs, Hellenic Parliament, expressed

his anxiety towards the alarming increase

of populism, nationalism, racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and Euroscepticism,

which threaten two fundamental pillars of the European Union, namely the prosperity

based on solidarity and the settlement of the ethnic disputes. He also underlined that

the EU should watch attentively the positive evolutions in place in the Western

Balkan countries, should appreciate the dialogues which took place for example,

between Greece and North Macedonia. The EU Member States must support the

reform and the democratization of the countries of the Western Balkans for a

successful EU accession. EU should concentrate on the enlargement process and

should assume the role of regional actor who can unify these states and offer them a

motivation, so that they may continue on the road of democratization, reforms and

economic development, in order to have progress and prosperity. He underlined

further underlined that, during the mandates of the three rotating Presidencies of the

EU Council, respectively, of Romania, Finland and Croatia, it is necessary to set up

a precise calendar of the enlargement process, for a united and prosperous Europe,

a Europe of the citizens, based on cohesion.

The

interventions in the subsequent debates

highlighted the EU support for the

development in the Western Balkans, and the need to maintain EU commitment to

the enlargement process, as well as the need for the Western Balkan countries to

fulfil the criteria of the accession framework, especially the fundamental criteria

regarding the rule of law.

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

Workshop A

In a workshop moderated by

Ms Ana Gomes, Member of the European

Parliament,

participants discussed the

Future of CFSP/CSDP from Brexit

perspective.

All the speakers in the workshop underlined the important role of the

UK for the future of CFSP / CSDP, given that the UK contributes significantly from

the point of view of the EU's defence capability.

Mr Jean Jacques Bridey, Chair of

the Committee for National Defence of the National Assembly,

stated that there

is a consensus among EU member states regarding the need for the ”Europe of

Defence” to become functional. Mr Bridey called on all member states to have a

global approach towards security matters, in the context of challenges posed by

countries like Russia and China. The French MP noted the importance to associate

the UK after Brexit to the Europe of Defence. The EU must use all instruments

available

–

CARD, PESCO, EDF

–

in order to respond to the current security threats

and challenges. Moreover, the workshop highlighted the necessity to understand the

concept of strategic autonomy, and then properly implemented. For Europe, being

strategically autonomous requires the ability to set a vision of its role in its

neighbourhood and on the world stage, to identify desirable political goals, and to

design and implement plans meant to achieve them. Finally, another important

element from this workshop refers to the fact that, after Brexit, bilateral relations with

EU Member States need to be restarted by signing new specific agreements or

strengthening existing ones.

Workshop B - EU Strategy for the Danube Region

In the workshop moderated by

Mr Doru Claudian Frunzulică, Member of the

European Parliament,

participants debated

the EU Strategy for the Danube

Region.

Mr Doru Claudian Frunzulică

has emphasized that the EU Strategy for the

Danube Region is a priority of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the

European Union, and all the countries participating in EUSDR look forward for this

cooperation as it responds to their mutual interests, goals, aims and tasks. The key-

issues pursued by this cooperation are as following: mobility, energy, biodiversity,

environment protection, higher social standards, safety of navigations.

Ms Audrone

Perkauskiene, Head of Division for the Eastern partnership-regional

cooperation and OSCE, European External Action Service (EEAS),

has

underlined the importance of developing the relations and strategic partnerships

between the EU Member States and non-EU states in the Danube Region. The

EUSDR contributes to peace building, ensuring security in the region, maintaining

good relations with the countries in the immediate neighboorhood of the European

Union, developing new opportunities for quick and efficient humanitarian aid and a

healthy environment.

Mr Radu Gorincioi, Romanian Coordinator for EUSDR,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

specified that cohesion has deep roots in the European

construction and the slogan of SUERD Presidency

"We strengthen cohesion for a

common prosperity in the Danube region"

is correlated to the motto of the Romanian

Presidency of the Council of the European Union,

“Cohesion,

a common European

value”.

During the debates, participants concluded that the territorial cooperation, the

UPN, Alm.del - 2018-19 (1. samling) - Bilag 170: Referat fra CFSP/CSDP-konferencen den 7.-8. marts 2019 i forbindelse med det Rumænske formandskab

coordinated increase of network activities and inter-regional exchanges would lead

to a better life standing for the European citizens. In addition, they stressed the need

to revise the EUSDR Action Plan in order to become a more efficient and transparent

instrument, involving all relevant actors.

Workshop C

In the workshop on

Cyber Security and Hybrid Warfare,

moderated by

Ramona Mănescu,

Member of the European Parliament,

the first contributor,

Mr.

Mihnea Costoiu, MP and the rector of Bucharest Polytechnic University,

emphasized the role of education in countering hybrid and cyber threats and

advocated for

cyber culture’s development.

Mr. Cătălin Aramă,

CERT-Ro General

Manager,

explained the role of the institution in strengthening the national cyber

security and called for more cooperation between national and European authorities.

The consensus of the workshop was that although cyber and hybrid warfare are not

a new phenomenon, the increasing digitalisation of society and infrastructure create

new vulnerabilities and new threats. Education and training are crucial in tackling

these threats and should not reach only the IT experts, but need to be made

available to the general population, as well as to the parliamentarians. Rising

awareness on the risk of disinformation as the main dimension of hybrid warfare

represents an important step forward. Finally, the need to establish general rules for

cyber space was stressed, as a fundamental instrument in defining global standards

and ensuring accountability.

Workshop D: Military mobility a challenge to develop synergies between NATO

and EU

In the workshop on

Military Mobility,

a challenge to develop synergies between

NATO and EU

moderated by

Victor Boştinaru,

Member of the European

Parliament,

the speakers analysed the topic from different perspectives: national,

European and NATO. The speakers of the workshop were

brigadier general

Eduard Simion, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Representative in

Europe

–

NATO, Aukje de Vries, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on

Defence within the House of Representatives of the Netherlands and brigadier

general Constantin Negrea, Chief of Logistics Directorate, Defence Staff,

Romanian Ministry of National Defence.

Furthermore, the participants analysed

the status quo, the implementation of the political arrangements agreed at the level

of EU and NATO, including the progress of the national plans for military mobility that

should permit cross-border movement of the troops and the equipment within 5

working days. Several challenges within the NATO-EU cooperation framework were

noted, such as the exchange of classified information, and the importance of dual-

use of civil infrastructure. Finally, they advocated for an active role of national

Parliaments in improving the military mobility by scrutiny the implementation of the

agreements and endorsement of proper regulations, along with allocating the

assigned budget for fulfilling the requirements of the free movement of the forces.