EU gains ‘super observer’ status in UN General Assembly
Following a vote held within the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday 3 May, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will able to speak on behalf of the EU in the UNGA. At the same time, the European Parliament (EP) is expected to reiterate its calls for an EU seat within the UN Security Council (UNSC), in which the EU does not have any formal representation.
“I am very pleased that the United Nations General Assembly adopted today's Resolution, which takes account of the institutional changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty”, said Catherine Ashton after the vote that signifies a major victory for the EU in its attempts to enhance its role at a global stage. ”I have set great store by the EU's cooperation with the UN, so I am delighted that this Resolution will allow us to continue to support the UN's vital work in a coherent and effective manner”, the EU’s High Representative continued.
Whilst thus far the EU could only speak in the UNGA through the ambassador of the country holding the rotating presidency, the Union now enjoys the right to speak, the right to make proposals and submit amendments, the right of reply, the right to raise points of order, and the right to circulate documents.
However, as the UN traditionally only constituted an assembly of nation states, the EU had to back an amendment transforming the body into an organisation that also grants representation rights to regional blocs. Accordingly, other regional groups, such as the African Union, Arab League and the South American Union are likely to ask for the same status granted to the EU.
Whilst the EU now enjoys ‘super observer’ status within the UN Secretary General, it was not granted any comparable status in the UNSC so far. MEPs are therefore expected to call for an EU seat within the UN’s Security Council in discussions with Catherine Ashton to be held at the Parliament’s Strasbourg plenary session, on 11 May.
According to a report drafted by María Muñiz de Urquiza, a Spanish centre-left MEP, the EU should ask for an extension of its representation within the UNSC. However, the report does not ask for any concession on behalf of the council’s two permanent members, France and UK who have been reluctant to give up their seats. The report also urges EU member states holding a seat in the council to defend common EU positions and to make sure that Ashton and her successors have the right to speak at the council.
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