EU gezamenlijk buitenlands- en veiligheidsbeleid tijdens het Zweeds Voorzitterschap (en)

The European Union’s credibility as a global actor is ultimately determined by its ability to contribute to stability in its neighbourhood and to resolve the remaining conflicts in its immediate vicinity. Continued enlargement plays a central role in this context. It is the vision of EUmembership that is the driving force behind the reform process in the EU’s neighbourhood, and the European Union itself represents a positive example of how prosperity can be created through peaceful integration.

Over the past six months, Slovenia and Croatia have reached an agreement on how their border dispute can be dealt with, and Croatia now has excellent prospects of concluding its accession negotiations next year. Iceland applied for membership at the very beginning of the Swedish Presidency and the Commission is currently working on its opinion. As Iceland is already strongly integrated into the EU by virtue of its membership of the EEA, much of the work has already been done. During the last meeting of foreign ministers in December, the decision was also made to open an environment chapter in the negotiations with Turkey. Of particular importance are developments in the Western Balkans, where major progress has been made with visa-free access for citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from 19 December. FYROM will soon be able to initiate accession negotiations, and the Commission is working on opinions for Montenegro and Albania. As far as Serbia is concerned, the interim agreement is now ready for application. Bosnia and Herzegovina have not been able to maintain the same pace of integration as their neighbours. But during the Swedish Presidency a process has been set in motion with the aim of gradually integrating Bosnia and Herzegovina into the transatlantic structures. In the eastern neighbourhood, the European Union’s commitment to the ‘Eastern Partnership’ has been filled with content, including a major investment in greater energy efficiency in Ukraine. Six countries are involved in the new cooperation structure, which also includes projects with civil society and on December 22 Serbia submitted its application for membership to the Swedish presidency. The European Union’s role as a global actor is based on a clear agenda for peace, development, democracy and human rights. It has been the ambition of the Presidency to strengthen the EU’s capacity to take action in international crises and to cooperate with others to contribute to global peace and development. Much of this work involves being present in centres of conflict and monitoring events so as to be in a position to help defuse antagonisms and give support to constructive forces. The European Union’s presence in Georgia has had a clear moderating influence on the conflict. Over the last six months the European Union has actively supported democratic forces and human rights movements from Honduras and Cuba in the west to Iran, Burma and China in the east. The European Union’s strong commitment to a peace agreement in the Middle East has been manifest in its support for the United States’ mediation efforts and in the conclusions adopted by the EU foreign ministers in December. The EU’s role in Afghanistan has become clearer. An overview of the Member States’ contributions shows that the total EU contribution amounts to 35 000 personnel and SEK 10 billion per year. During the Swedish Presidency the EU has adopted an in-depth strategy for relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the implementation of this strategy has also begun. The anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia has proved to be a major success. It provides an example of how the European Union now has the capacity to lead a larger operation with broad international participation. The EU has been particularly engaged in developments in the Horn of Africa, West Africa and Zimbabwe. During the Swedish Presidency, seven successful summits have been held with Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States. Several concrete steps have been taken towards deepened cooperation with these countries, particularly in the area of energy and climate. Alongside the work to strengthen the EU’s role as global actor, two regional initiatives have been concluded. These are the design of the European Union’s Baltic Sea Strategy and the adoption of an Arctic Strategy. Regional cooperation with Russia has also become deeper. The Baltic Sea Strategy - with its emphasis on strengthening the region’s competitiveness and increased action to enhance the Baltic Sea environment - could be a model for the EU’s future regional cooperation projects. The Swedish Presidency is therefore the end of an era in the development of the European Union. But it has also been the beginning of a new era as the EU has gone from being a major regional and economic powerto becoming an increasingly important global and political actor as well. To reach this position, it has been necessary to strengthen the joint institutions, and in particular those with a mandate from the citizens of Europé - the European Council and the European Parliament. But it has also been important to show that the European Union is up to the task of remaining united and taking joint action on the major global issues in which crossborder problems require cross-border solutions. In both of these dimensions, the European Union has given clear responses over the past six months.