Resolution

Committee on Foreign Affairs I (AFET I)

Submitted by:
Samuele Convini (IT), Adna Dzankovic (BiH), Victoria Fricke (DE), Bekir Hadziomerovic (BiH),
Luka Jurkovi (BiH), Vasiliki Triantafyllou (GR), Baran Ozan Yarar (TR), Joel Juntunen
(Chairperson, FI)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Aware of the shortcomings of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)1 as well as
the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)2 due to a lack of
i. a common approach to foreign policy held by the Member States,
ii. funding into security and defence affairs,
iii. political will and commitment to solving the issues together,
B. Bearing in mind the lack of effective cooperation, coordination and communication between
the EU and the United Nations (UN)3 concerning different strategies and goals when it
comes to intervention,
C. Noting the the EU does not have control over military matters in the Member States
regarding foreign policy,
D. Congratulating the effort in 30 peacekeeping missions undertaken by the EU since 2002,
E. Noting with regret that some countries in the world, including Member States, have not
respected international conventions4 in recent conflicts5,
F. Viewing with appreciation the partial success of the European External Action Service
(EEAS)6 on the fields of conflict prevention, peace building, mediation, and sanction
policy7,
G. Observing that in past missions led by Member States there has been an amendable potential
of armed forces in consistency, equipment, and capabilities,
H. Acknowledging that the decisions made at the Cologne European Council meeting8 stating
that the Union should be capable of sustainable military actions independently of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)9 have not been followed effectively,
I. Alarmed by the fact that the current model of interventions only solves short-term
problems10,
J. Deeply concerned by a lack of respect by the intervening forces towards the sovereignty of
the countries that are involved in conflicts,

1
Website of CFSP https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/420/common-foreign-and-security-
policy-cfsp_en
2
Website of ENP https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/330/european-neighbourhood-policy-
enp_en
3
Website of UN http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/overview/
4
e.g. Geneva Conventions
5
Article: British soldiers break Geneva convention
6
Website of EEAS https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/82/about-the-european-external-action-
service-eeas_en
7
Annual report from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
8
Cologne summit http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/kol1_en.htm
9
Website of NATO http://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html
10
e.g. NATO interventions in middle-east
 K. Recognising the fact that previous armed conflicts provide valuable knowledge,
L. Taking into consideration that often multiple parties with interests towards specific conflict
areas support different sides of the conflict;

1. Requests the political leadership of the Member States to act more decisively when it comes
to the implementation of already existing policies;
2. Asks the European Commission and the Member States to increase cooperation with the UN
by
a. adjusting their strategies in order to focus on their mutual goals,
b. intervening only with the approval of the UNs Security Council;
3. Appeals the European Commission to further develop the Lisbon Treaty11 to define
a. the limits and the ways for Member States intervening in conflicts,
b. the standards of EU peacekeeping missions;
4. Urges upon the European Commission to expand the EEAS participation in peacekeeping
operations;
5. Invites Interpol to monitor all the parties involved in armed conflicts and pass on their
findings to the relevant international tribunals;
6. Instructs peacekeepers involved in foreign conflicts to focus on humanitarian aid,
improvement of education, and economic support;
7. Hopes that Member States adjust their training, equipment and procedures according to
European Union Force (EUFOR)12 standards in order to achieve better integration and
cooperation among Member States armed forces;
8. Appeals to the Member States to invest the sufficient funds into armed forces in order to
raise the operational readiness and power projections capabilities in accordance with the
decisions made by the Cologne European Council;
9. Calls upon the European Commission to consider an international intervention concluded
only when the situation has been economically and politically stabilized;
10. Urges the intervening forces to respect the sovereignty of the involved countries by
including local authorities in the decision-making process;
11. Calls upon the EU Military Committee (EUMC)13 to analyse and reflect upon the previous
and ongoing military interventions in order to gain experience and increase the effectiveness
of missions in the future;
12. Suggests the Directorate-General of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian
Operations (ECHO)14 to obtain a more active role in the international scene as a mediator
between the intervening forces in order to avoid proxy wars and keeping EU neutral through
negotiation and mediation.

11
Lisbon treaty at glance http://ec.europa.eu/archives/lisbon_treaty/glance/index_en.htm
12
Website of EUFOR BIH http://www.euforbih.org/eufor/index.php/about-eufor
13
Website of EUCM https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-
homepage_en/5428/European%20Union%20Military%20Committee%20(EUMC)
14
Website of DG ECHO https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/humanitarian-aid-and-civil-protection_en