Written answers

Thursday, 28 March 2013

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

EU Treaties

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he anticipates European foreign policy to emerge as the leading peace promoting agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15928/13]

Photo of Eamon GilmoreEamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union states that the European Union’s “aim is to promote peace, its values and the well being of its peoples”. Furthermore, Article 21c of the Treaty specifies that the EU shall work to “preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security”. The EU’s achievements in this regard were formally recognised when it was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Over six decades, the EU has consolidated peace between former antagonists, exported stability to its neighbourhood and been the first regional organisation to make a tangible contribution to peace and security beyond its borders. In this regard, the EU already plays a leadership role in the promotion of peace. The European Commission currently focuses its activities on the root causes of conflict and the building of sustainable peace. In addition to deploying instruments relating to economic development and social cohesion, the Commission concentrates on the rebuilding of critical state institutions plus transitional justice and reconciliation efforts. The European External Action Service (EEAS) promotes peace at all levels, ranging from, for example, high-level mediation between Serbia and Kosovo (which is conducted by High Representative Ashton) to the work of a newly created EEAS team on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and mediation which provides training on early warning, conflict analysis and mediation and which is helping to build conflict prevention capacity in third countries.

In combination, and in the spirit of the EU’s so-called “Comprehensive Approach” to crisis management, these various instruments and resources enable the European Union to make a decisive contribution to the promotion of peace. Ireland is fully supportive of this work. As Presidency, furthermore, we are contributing to the organization of a conference, along with the EEAS and the European Parliament, which will look at ways of strengthening the Union’s internal and external capacities in the field of mediation, a crucial element in conflict prevention.

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