The committee adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Elmar BROK( EPP-ED , DE ) in response to the annual report from the Council on the common foreign and security policy (CFSP).
On institutional matters, the committee rejected the Council's approach of simply informing Parliament of CFSP activity after the event in the annual report. It said that the Council should instead consult Parliament each year on the main choices to be made over the following 12 months. MEPs said that many of the innovations in foreign policy envisaged by the proposed EU Constitution could be put into practice already, with greater steps being taken to ensure the representation of the EU as a whole in international multinational organisations. They welcomed the creation of the European Defence Agency, but noted the importance of its being democratically accountable and transparent in all its work.
The committee supported the "civil-military holistic approach" of the EU Security Strategy. It stressed its strong belief that nuclear disarmament would contribute significantly to international security. The report said that the fight against terrorism should remain an EU priority and a key element of external policy.
Among individual issues raised in the report, the committee stressed the importance of decisions on the final status of Kosovo, progress in the Middle East peace process, close cooperation with the USA and with Russia , and the situation in Iraq , Iran , North Korea and Afghanistan . The committee also called for the arms embargo on China to be maintained.