General PITARCH addresses the European Parliament

Brussels, 5th May 2008. - The Spanish Lieutenant General Pedro Pitarch, Eurocorps Commander, has addressed for the first time the European Parliamentarians in the European Parliament in Brussels. The speech of general Pitarch took place by request of the German Parliamentarian Karl Von Wogau, President of the Subcommission of Security and Defence, who visited the Headquarters of the Eurocorps in Strasbourg last 16th January.

Eurocorps Commander emphasized the role of the European Union as global actor and declared that “Europe constitutes our common future”.

Among the subjects treated by general Pitarch it is to highlight the importance that for the European Defence has the development of the concept of Reinforced Cooperation and Permanent Structured Cooperation in the Treaty of Lisbon, the need of significant advances in the European Common Security and its complementariness with the NATO, the credibility and legitimacy as main values of Eurocorps because of his experience and participating nations, as well as by his system of decision making, and the increasing interest of the European Nations in Eurocorps, with the desire of Poland to increase substantially its participation and the new joining requests of Italy and Rumania, as well as the U.S.A.

In words of general Pitarch, at the moment the three “terms of the equation” for the European Defence are: “the continuity of some of the NATO military structures, which would possibly need to be downsized; the rationalization and structuring of existing European multinational forces; and the maintenance of the current levels of continental security during that process of transformation”.

Eurocorps, commanded by the Spanish Lieutenant General Pedro Pitarch since September 2007, has participated in the operations of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan and is certified by NATO as High Readiness Force and NATO Response Force.

Lieutenant General Pitarch finished his words expressing his conviction in the capacity of Eurocorps to constitute a efficient military tool that could help the European Union achieves its goal of consolidating its role as global power, “By contributing its capabilities, within the framework of the United Nations Charter, to the European effort of promoting freedom, human rights, rule of law, security, stability and – all in all- peace”.

During the conversations opened after the words of the general the members of the Subcommission of Security and Defence of the European Parliament, asked several questions to Eurocorps Commander.

 

Nota: Complete text of the speech of General Pitarch on www.eurocorps.org

 

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