For a Saint Malo 2 declaration

Ten years ago in Saint Malo, the French and British governments signed the Saint Malo declaration, which marked an important milestone in the construction of European defence. However, peace and security have become increasingly less a characteristic of the European continent: over the last 10 years, the crisis in Yugoslavia, which inspired the 1998 declaration, has been followed, after the attacks of September 11, by those in Madrid and London, and now by the war in Afghanistan and the crisis in Georgia.

Significant progress has been made such as the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Military Committee, the Military Staff of the European Union and the European Parliament’s Security and Defence subcommittee. But the advances made are still insufficient when set against the international crises threatening the security of member countries.

The opposition between NATO and a European Defence is a thing of the past as demonstrated by the French will to actively participate to Alliance’s military structures. The prompt and effective action by the EU presidency to obtain an armistice in Georgia shows how the Union can take independent diplomatic action essential for peace. The Eufor action taken in Africa and the Balkans also shows how Europe can act effectively in certain areas of insecurity without making demands on NATO resources

The Parliamentarians attending the Saint Malo conference, representing 14 member countries and three international organisations, call on governments and public opinion to relaunch the process of political and military construction of Europe’s Defence and Security. No Member State can now claim to define its defence resources and the conditions for its security alone (energy security, effects of global warming, migrations, terrorist threats, etc.). The European dimension is therefore an absolute security necessity over the next decade.

For this reason, we all urge to move towards European Union Security and Defence, as called for by the European Parliament.

The Union must combine civil and military actions and assumes active cooperation between all players. Likewise, the transparency and proper use of expenditure is essential to rally opinion to the cause.

To reinforce this policy we need:

- 1) A definition of the European Union’s security interests. Europe must be able to guarantee its interests and protect its citizens. She must also defend human rights which respect contribute to international stability

- 2) A redefined strategy. In December 2007, the Council decided to revise its Security Strategy. We now suggest that this strategy should be redefined every five years at the beginning of each European legislature. The Union needs to be able to prepare a long-term vision document and a White Paper, as essential tools in the political construction of Europe.

- 3) Defence and security oriented capabilities and equipment such as, for example, intelligence gathering satellites (Galileo, GMES, etc.), drones, helicopters, telecommunications equipment, and air and sea transportation facilities. Common technical standards for secure communications and protection of critical infrastructures are equally important. A single, more integrated approach to providing access to new technologies, reduce unnecessary duplication and improve European standardisation and interoperability, is also essential. In a difficult budgetary context, Europe should not give up.

Structural reforms are indispensable to overcome the traditional boundaries between civil and military research, create a single market for defence and security, develop European capabilities and give rise to a genuine European culture in this area. The removal of unnecessary restrictions placed on the development of European capabilities must become a goal: permanent planning and command structures in Brussels, cooperation between the EDA and the Commission, military use of space capabilities, and make the Battlegroup 1500 concept more realistic and flexible. Likewise, troops such as the Eurocorps could be made permanently available to the Union, as proposed by the European Parliament.

Several European countries have published or are working on white papers or strategic reviews, the French White Paper on security and defence just completed, our sights now need to be set as soon as possible on a "new frontier", in other words, the drafting of a White Paper on European Defence and Security, which should be one of the top priorities of the European Parliament’s Committees in conjunction with national parliaments and the high representative for the CFSP

Karl von Wogau, Chairman of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Josselin de Rohan, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the French Senate

Guy Teissier, Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Armed Forces of the French National Assembly