Views on the IGC and the European Union

                                          Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen

                                       AUTOR : Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS)

                                                     Stockholm, may 1996
 
 

(Note: This is un unofficial translation of views on the EU and the IGC given by SPAS to the Swedish government in May 1996)
 
 
 
 
 

Brief introduction to SPAS:

SPAS is the world´s oldest and Scandinavia's largest peace organization. Founded 1883 by the Nobel Prize Winner, KP Arnoldson. SPAS has about 7 000
individual members and some 40 local groups in Sweden. The organization is independent from the state and has no political or religious ties. SPAS's major aims are
to ease tensions, speed up disarmament, forward the transference of military resources to development and support democratization. More info on our work can be
found at http://www.educate.se/ideella/svenska/
 

SPAS´s views on EU and IGC:

A large number of the questions being discussed within the EU and during the IGC are of great importance to the future peace and security in Europe. Among these
are ofcourse the issues of EU enlargement, the strenghtening of the EU´s capacity to respond to conflicts, the role of WEU and the issue of an eventual common
defence policy for the EU. Another issue is that of the european arms trade and the possibilities of limiting it. In this statement we won´t be able to address all of
these issues.

In general SPAS sees dangers as well as possibilities in our analysis of EU´s future development. A central goal for EU and it´s predecessors have been to
strenghten stability and security by co-operation and integration. This far that work has been composed almost entirely of civilian components, and has, by large,
been very successful. The Stability Pact is an excellent example of how enhanced security for all can be the result of a co-ordinated foreign policy, without military
elements.

In these aspects SPAS supports a strenghtened capacity for the EU to act for enhanced security, for example by increasing the concordance between various parts
of the common policy. We´re also positive towards the discussions on strenghtening EU´s capacity in the field of conflict management, for example the ideas on
setting up a common analysis unit with access to the diplomatic resources of the member states.

We note with dislike, however, that some member states are pushing for a common defence policy and a common defence. Even though the idea of a common
defence seems unlikely today, we think that there is a risc that many small steps, for example enhancing the role of the WEU, might lead in that direction. From our
point of view we would like to emphasize that weighty arguments to keep military issues outside of the common policy exists. The CFSP should remain a civilian
project.
 

                                                         Enlargement
 

For several of the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe membership of the EU is an important goal. Integrating these states in a stable european
co-operation is important not only for them, but for Europe as a whole. SPAS is therefore positive towards EU´s eastward enlargement. At the same time we would
like to emphasize the need to envolve states outside an enlarged union in the European co-operation as well, especially Russia and other CIS-states. Parallel to the
enlargement the co-operation with states outside the union must be strenghtened.

Much too often the plans to enlarge the EU are seen as parallel to the process of enlarging NATO. SPAS has a very negative view on NATO´s enlargement.
Enlarging NATO does not contribute to a positive climate between "the west" and Russia. Security in Europe is enhanced by civilian co-operation, support for
democracy and cultural and politicalk integration. Not by taking measures that might risc the re-establishment of an iron curtain in Europe.

For the same reason SPAS wants to emphasize that a deeper military co-operation within the EU might become a direct threat to the process of enlarging the union.
 

                                                         Arms Trade
 

The EU-members account for a large part of the global sale in arms. Limiting these exports are an important goal. But a the same time it is not clear that a
co-ordinated policy would lead to less arms being exported from Europe. It depends on how a common policy is drawn up and what possibilities it gives for control
and what insight is given in it to the public.

SPAS recommends common, restrictive, guidelines in the field of arms trade, with continued possibility for individual member states to pursue even more restrictive
individual policies.

In the current situation such a common policy on arms trade seems unlikely. But it is possible to reach common decisions on inducing arms embargoes against certain
recipients of european arms more often than today. We urge the Swedish government to act in this way.
 

FONTE : http://europa.eu.int/en/agenda/igc-home/instdoc/ngo/spasen.htm