欧州政治協力 (EPC) の二〇年

政治統合に向かうEC

抄録

Twenty years have passed since European Political Co-operation (EPC) started. This article is concerned with the development of EPC from the Luxembourg Report (1970. 10. 27) to the Single European Act (SEA, 87. 7. 1). It analyses not only the various documents but also the activities of EPC.
It may be said that the fundamental objects and character have not greatly changed. Even today, EPC is mainly managed by spirit of ‘pramatism’ on the basis of consensus of all the Member States which can act freely and voluntarily within the loose framework of EPC.
EPC does not impose any legal obligation even after the enactment of SEA. SEA in spite of the word ‘single’, does not provide EPC with any link to the EC Treaties, because matters in the field of EPC are excluded from the competence of the European Court of Justice (see, art. 31).
But, under this dual structure (often called ‘dichotomy’) between EPC and the EC, EPC has obtained some excellent results through its activites over the past twenty years by the tandem method. Owing to this method, practices of co-operation or co-relation have developed between them. Indeed, EPC has no instruments to implement the decisions taken within the framework. When the meetings of European Council of Foreign Minister want to take decisions including declarations and statements, it should be followed by the decisions made by the EC Commission and the EC Council, if necessary, through the consultation with the European Parliament. Such an interaction often happens also in the lower level, that is, between the Political Committee in EPC and COREPER in the EC.
Nowadays in these cases, we can often see the decisions in the EC taken by applying article 113 or 224 of the EEC Treaty. And yet, so far as EPC matters are concerned, when the EC institutions take such decisions, prior consensus in EPC has become increasingly needed.
Of cource, there are some difficulties to run the tandem system, because it usually demands compromise between the EC and EPC, and among the Member States. So EPC (or ‘tandem’) is a success, objection may be raised on the grounds that it cannot work with efficiency, mainly owing to the complex dual structure. In fact, it could not act rapidly when the United States of America asked the allied nations to impose some sanctions against Lybia in April 1986. The current system has certain limits. It largely depends on the conditions whether ‘tandem’ can succeed or not.
Reviewing the history of EPC over its first ten years, William Wallace said as follows:
Is the record of political co-operation really a success?… a great deal depends on how high or low expectations were pitched.
Then, how further can EPC go towards a common foreign policy? It depends not on the system or the rules but on the political will of the Member States, and I believe it is not impossible to reach the final destination even by the current method, if they wish.
People in Europe has never forgotten the objectives of the European Union or European Unity, as seen in many reports or suggestions on EPC. As in stated also in SEA (art. 30. 1):
The High Contracting Parties…shall endeavour jointly to formulate and implement a European foreign policy.