The inter-parliamentary conference was convened with the aim of scrutinising EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Policy with national and European parliamentarians from all political groups and all member states.

Left parliamentarians attending the conference included GUE/NGL Coordinator on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sabine Lösing; SYRIZA MP, Kostas Douzinas; Sinistra Italiana MP, Erasmo Palazzotto; and PODEMOS MP, Pablo Bustinduy.

On their return from the conference, Sabine Lösing commented: “Strengthening EU defence and rapid response forces, increasing synergies within the EU and with external partners, as well as the need for an ambitious EU Global Strategy and a common European approach to the migration crisis; these are the conclusions adopted by the conference. For the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Elmar Brok (EPP), the European Union is 'engaged in a global war', and he is not tired of repeating like a mantra that Europe's citizens need to be secured.”

“This is the poor outcome of the three-day conference. The conference conclusions reveal the characteristics of current EU Foreign Affairs Policy: away from a civilian and peaceful Union towards a militarised one. So-called threats to security are being used as a pretext for more military interventions, mass surveillance and removal of fundamental rights, as recently seen in Syria and France after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Yet, military actions have never contained, stopped or prevented terrorism. Therefore, the delegates from GUE/NGL did not support the joint conclusions.” 

“Since it was not possible for our group to change the approach and content of the joint conclusions, we decided – as in past meetings – to draft alternative conclusions*,”  Lösing explained. 

GUE/NGL calls for the cessation of the highly counterproductive military 'war on terror' and for a change of EU policy direction towards a non-militaristic foreign policy that exclusively utilises a civilian conflict resolution approach and declares poverty eradication as its highest priority.

* View alternative conclusions document

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