Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The Lisbon treaty has provided new structures for external representation of the EU, including the appointment of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton. The High Representative now carries out the foreign policy representation functions previously carried out by the rotating EU Presidency. The purpose of these changes is to allow the European Union to play a more effective role and have a stronger and more coherent voice in the international arena. Over the past year EU ambassadors in New York have been fully engaged in explaining the changes arising from the Lisbon treaty to non-EU member states and working to ensure that the new external representatives of the EU can fulfil their role adequately at the UN.

Following a lengthy process of consultation, EU member states tabled a draft resolution at the General Assembly last August to provide for a modestly enhanced status to the EU's existing rights as an observer, including allowing the EU High Representative and other EU representatives to speak in a timely manner in formal meetings of the UN General Assembly and Security Council as well as seeking the right of reply and to distribute official documents of the EU.

This request is fully compatible with the EU's status as an observer at the UN General Assembly, a status which is also held by a range of other international organisations. The request requires no change in either normal UN procedures or to the UN charter. The United Nations very much remains an organisation of states and, therefore, there is no question of the EU or any other international organisation having a status at the UN beyond that of an observer.

On 14 September, the General Assembly voted to defer consideration of the draft resolution on the issue of EU representation at the UN. This should be clearly understood as a procedural set back rather than a verdict per se on the substance of what the EU is seeking. While this was disappointing for EU member states, it was apparent that certain other UN members wished to have more time to consider the implications of the changes in EU representation. Concerns were also expressed by some UN members that the EU was seeking new prerogatives at the UN, which is not the case.

As I noted in my speech to the UN General Assembly on 27 September, the EU and its 27 member states are firmly committed to effective multilateralism with a strong UN at its core. We look forward to further consultations with UN member states on formalising the changes to the representation of the EU in the UN General Assembly. This is something to which Ireland and its EU partners attach the utmost importance because the proposed modest adjustments will help the EU to make a more effective contribution to the work of the General Assembly and the UN. It is also important the EU learns the appropriate lessons from its inability up to now to secure sufficient support from other UN members for the modest changes it is seeking. A process of internal review is now under way in both New York and Brussels to assess the potential implications of last month's vote for EU standing within the UN. The issue will also be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council later this month, at which time I and my EU counterparts will be able to benefit from the results of the internal analysis now under way.

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