EU Presidency Statement - Strengthening the role of the UN

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the associated countries - Cyprus and Malta, as well as the EFTA country of the European Economic Area - Iceland, align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to thank the members of the Charter Committee and especially its chairman, Mr. Markyan Kulyk, for the comprehensive report submitted. I would first like to address the question of implementation of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations related to assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions.

The European Union is of the opinion that strong and efficient sanctions regimes are an indispensable tool in the efforts to maintain international peace and security. The European Union is fully aware of the possibility of unintended negative effects of sanctions on innocent civilians and third States. We are committed to alleviate and if possible eliminate these unintended effects. The twin objectives must be to maximise the impact of UN sanctions on the decision-makers in the targeted entities, while simultaneously minimising the negative effects on the innocent civilian population and third States.

A sanctions regime may include many different types of sanctions, from the most general to the more targeted. Sanctions may be universal or selective, absolute or gradual. Their impact and the consequences for third parties may vary accordingly. Targeted sanctions, such as arms embargoes, travel restrictions and the seizure or confiscation of assets, are preferable in that they target the responsible decision makers while lessening the burden on third parties. The EU is convinced that the use of targeted sanctions will significantly reduce adverse effects of sanctions on third States.

The EU strongly urges the United Nations and its Member States to make use of the recommendations that have emerged from the Interlaken process on the effectiveness of sanctions, the Bonn-Berlin process on arms embargoes and travel sanctions, including flight bans, and look forward to the outcome of the Stockholm process on the implementation and monitoring of targeted sanctions and assistance to States in their implementation of sanctions.

The EU also looks forward to the early agreement of the report of the working group on General Issues of Sanctions.

Mr. Chairman,

Closely related to the issue of sanctions is the question of basic conditions and standard criteria for the introduction of sanctions and other coercive measures and their implementation. The European Union welcomes the paper submitted by the Russian Federation as a useful basis for further consideration of the topic. We would, however, wish to reiterate our position that the Charter Committee should avoid becoming substantially involved in matters that are better handled in other fora.

Mr. Chairman,

On the issue of peaceful settlement of disputes, the European Union would like to register its support for the draft resolution entitled "Prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes", which we hope will be adopted by consensus during the present session of the General Assembly. The EU particularly welcomes the emphasis on existing means of peaceful settlement, the need to have recourse to them at an early stage, and the principle of free choice of means.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to end this intervention on a priority issue for the European Union, namely the working methods of the Charter Committee. The issue has been on the agenda for several years, reflecting an increasing concern over the Committee's lack of efficiency and tangible results. This, it seems, has led to a fading interest in its work, as reflected in the falling level of attendance at meetings.

In recent years, the European Union has put forward a number of suggestions for streamlining the working methods of the Committee and strengthening its efficiency. A prioritised agenda that is both more focused and more results-oriented should be introduced. If the Committee is unable to move a given matter forward, it should be taken off the agenda. Without a clear cut-off mechanism, the same issues reappear year after year without effective solutions in sight.

Proposals for the Committee should be submitted as early as possible in order to give delegations sufficient time to study them before the sessions. We also propose that the report of the Charter Committee's session be adopted in a less time-consuming manner, following the example of the Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism. Finally, it is highly desirable to subject new proposals to a preliminary examination by the committee before they are inscribed in its agenda. New items should not be taken on the agenda of the Committee, as long as the old issues remain unresolved.

During the previous sessions of the Committee, Japan has presented valuable papers on these issues. The papers have included a number of important recommendations, which the European Union fully supports. Regrettably, to date it has not been possible to reach consensus on the issues, and as a result of the deliberations in the Charter Committee, the recommendations included in the papers have been watered down considerably. It is high time that the Committee reforms its own methods of work. The European Union stands ready support all initiatives to achieve this end.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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• EU Presidency Statement - UN finances (14/10/2002)