Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 11 May 2011 - Strasbourg

Explanations of vote

Text tabled : A7-0168/2011

  Pino Arlacchi (S&D). – Mr President, I voted in favour of this report for its moderate approach to the most pressing issues in the common foreign and security policy.

Thanks to the Socialist Group’s amendments, a more constructive language for the dialogue on Russia and Iran has been achieved.

The amendments on the EU strategy on Afghanistan also contributed to improving the structure of the report.

The Albertini report is a step forward towards a better EU security policy. While I support the efforts and the commitment of the rapporteur, I should also stress that the EU is still far from having a coherent long-term strategy in this area. The EU contribution to global peace and stability is still quite small and still depends too much on the USA’s vision of international security and on the ‘needle approach’ to the same issue.

Let us work for a more autonomous, EU-centred foreign and security strategy, because that is what European citizens expect from us and that is what we should deliver to them.