The Strategic Review of the EU s Foreign and Security Policy Call for Evidence The House of Lords EU External Affairs Sub-Committee, chaired by Lord Tugendhat, has decided to conduct an inquiry into the strategic review of the EU s foreign and security policy. The Sub-Committee seeks evidence from anyone with an interest. Written evidence is sought by Sunday 11 October 2015. Public hearings will be held from September 2015 until the end of November 2015. The Committee aims to publish its report, with recommendations, in early 2016. The report will receive responses from the Government and the European Commission, and will be debated in the House. The December 2013 European Council invited the High Representative, in close cooperation with the European Commission, to assess the impact of changes in the global environment, and to report to the Council in the course of 2015 on the challenges and opportunities arising for the Union, following consultations with the Member States. The first phase of this work was a strategic review, which reported to the European Council in June 2015. 1 The High Representative s report notes that the EU is acting today in a changed global environment, which is more connected, contested and complex. The report prioritises five challenges and opportunities for the EU: European Neighbours North Africa and the Middle East Africa Atlantic Partnerships Asia. The report also suggested areas for reform in the functioning of EU external policy, including in direction setting, flexibility, leverage, coordination and capabilities, and recommended a joined-up approach to EU external policy. The second phase of the review is summed up in the invitation of the June 2015 European Council to the High Representative, to continue the process of strategic reflection with a view to preparing an EU global strategy on foreign and security policy in close cooperation with Member States, to be submitted to the European Council by June 2016. 1 See http://eeas.europa.eu/docs/strategic_review/eu-strategic-review_strategic_review_en.pdf
The External Affairs Sub-Committee intends, through its inquiry, to contribute to this process of strategic reflection, and thereby to the preparation of an EU external affairs strategy. The Committee seeks evidence on the following questions. You need not address all these questions in your response. Changing global environment and EU interests Is the High Representative s report the right basis on which to draft the strategy proper? The High Representative sets out a changed and more threatening global environment. In this new environment, what are the EU s strategic interests? Do they coincide with the UK s strategic interests? Is the EU ready and capable to respond to the new security environment? What are the opportunities that it presents for the Union? The High Representative, endorsed by the European Council, calls for an EU global strategy on foreign and security policy. Is the EU a global power? Is the High Representative too ambitious and if so, where, and on what, should the EU focus? Neighbourhood policy Should the EU focus its resources more closely on its own neighbourhood? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so? How would you assess EU policy in the neighbourhood? Are the foreign policy instruments in the neighbourhood fit for purpose? Should enlargement remain the major tool of in the EU foreign policy toolkit in the neighbourhood? What are the implications for the EU s foreign and security policy of the Greek crisis? Upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa What are the EU s interests in the MENA region? How effective have the EU and Member States been in promoting them? What have been the obstacles to effective EU action in the region? 2
Member States and the EU have been calling for a policy to address the root causes of insecurity and to offer tailor made responses to the countries in the region. What would that involve? Does the EU have the foreign policy toolkit to deliver on this policy? Capabilities and Capacities What are the EU and Member States most effective and useful foreign policy instruments? Are they fit for purpose? Are they being used effectively? What structural reforms are required in order to make the EU s foreign policy work more effective? What additional capabilities, if any, are required for the EU and Member States to act effectively in the new security environment, for instance in response to emerging threats to its cyber-security? How can the EU most effectively maximise its power both hard and soft in international affairs? Is the EU an effective multilateral player? How would you assess the diplomatic and intelligence capacities of the EU and Member States? Does the Union have the expertise and capacity within its institutions and national foreign services to respond to a more complex and complicated security environment? Member States and the EU How can the interests of Member States be more effectively translated into EU action? How can the links between national capitals and the EU be strengthened in external affairs? Is the practice of ad-hoc groupings of Member States leading on foreign policy dossiers (as in the E3+3 negotiations on Iran s nuclear programme) a useful template for future EU foreign policy? How could it be strengthened? What are the disadvantages of this approach? How would you assess the flow of information between Member States and between national capitals and the EU? What are the hurdles to deepening intelligence sharing within the Union? 3
Process How should the High Representative conduct the review? What would be the most useful outcome? How should the UK feed into the review? How should the review address the resourcing of the EU s foreign policy strategy? Should the High Representative also outline the operational plans for advancing the EU s foreign policy strategy? Case Studies Can you give examples of where EU foreign policy has succeeded and when it has struggled? What are the causes in each case? ANNEX 1: GUIDANCE FOR SUBMISSIONS Written evidence should be submitted online using the written submission form available at www.parliament.uk/review-eu-foreign-policy-submission-form.this page also provides guidance on submitting evidence. If you have difficulty submitting evidence online, please contact the Committee staff by email to jonesw@parliament.uk or by telephoning 020 7219 6798. The deadline for written evidence is Sunday 11 October 2015. Short submissions are preferred. A submission longer than six pages should include a onepage summary. Paragraphs should be numbered. All submissions made through the written submission form will be acknowledged automatically by email. Evidence which is accepted by the Committee may be published online at any stage; when it is so published it becomes subject to parliamentary copyright and is protected by parliamentary privilege. Submissions which have been previously published will not be accepted as evidence. Once you have received acknowledgement that the evidence has been accepted you will receive a further email, and at this point you may publicise or publish your evidence yourself. In doing so you must indicate that it was prepared for the Committee, and you should be aware that your publication or re-publication of your evidence may not be protected by parliamentary privilege. Personal contact details will be removed from evidence before publication, but will be retained by the Committee Office and used for specific purposes relating to the Committee s work, for instance to seek additional information. 4
Persons who submit written evidence, and others, may be invited to give oral evidence. Oral evidence is usually given in public at Westminster and broadcast online; transcripts are also taken and published online. Persons invited to give oral evidence will be notified separately of the procedure to be followed and the topics likely to be discussed. Substantive communications to the Committee about the inquiry should be addressed through the clerk of the Committee, whether or not they are intended to constitute formal evidence to the Committee. This is a public call for evidence. Please bring it to the attention of other groups and individuals who may not have received a copy direct. You may follow the progress of the inquiry at www.parliament.uk/review-eu-foreign-policy Follow the inquiry on Twitter: @LordsEUCom, #strategicreview. 5