The Nordic Countries and the European Security and Defence Policy

Article III-303The Union may conclude agreements with oneor more States or international organisations inareas covered by this Chapter.Article III-3041. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairsshall consult and inform the European Parliamentin accordance with Article I-40(8) andArticle I-41(8). He or she shall ensure that theviews of the European Parliament are dulytaken into consideration. Special representativesmay be involved in briefing the EuropeanParliament.2. The European Parliament may ask questionsof the Council and of the Union Ministerfor Foreign Affairs or make recommendationsto them. Twice a year it shall hold a debate onprogress in implementing the common foreignand security policy, including the commonsecurity and defence policy.Article III-305EU CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY 3991. Member States shall coordinate their actionin international organisations and at internationalconferences. They shall uphold theUnion’s positions in such fora. The UnionMinister for Foreign Affairs shall organise thiscoordination.In international organisations and at internationalconferences where not all the MemberStates participate, those which do take partshall uphold the Union’s positions.2. In accordance with Article I-16(2),Member States represented in internationalorganisations or international conferenceswhere not all the Member States participateshall keep the latter, as well as the UnionMinister for Foreign Affairs, informed of anymatter of common interest.Member States which are also members ofthe United Nations Security Council shallconcert and keep the other Member States andthe Union Minister for Foreign Affairs fullyinformed. Member States which are membersof the Security Council will, in the executionof their functions, defend the positions and theinterests of the Union, without prejudice totheir responsibilities under the United NationsCharter.When the Union has defined a position on asubject which is on the United Nations SecurityCouncil agenda, those Member Stateswhich sit on the Security Council shall requestthat the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs beasked to present the Union’s position.Article III-306The diplomatic and consular missions of theMember States and the Union delegations inthird countries and international conferences,and their representations to internationalorganisations, shall cooperate in ensuring thatthe European decisions defining Union positionsand actions adopted pursuant to thisChapter are complied with and implemented.They shall step up cooperation by exchanginginformation and carrying out joint assessments.They shall contribute to the implementationof the right of European citizens toprotection in the territory of third countries asreferred to in Article I-10(2)(c) and the measuresadopted pursuant to Article III-127.Article III-3071. Without prejudice to Article III-344, a Politicaland Security Committee shall monitor theinternational situation in the areas covered bythe common foreign and security policy andcontribute to the definition of policies bydelivering opinions to the Council at therequest of the latter, or of the Union Ministerfor Foreign Affairs, or on its own initiative. Itshall also monitor the implementation ofagreed policies, without prejudice to thepowers of the Union Minister for ForeignAffairs.2. Within the scope of this Chapter, thePolitical and Security Committee shall exercise,under the responsibility of the Counciland of the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs,the political control and strategic direction ofthe crisis management operations referred to inArticle III-309.The Council may authorise the Committee,for the purpose and for the duration of a crisismanagement operation, as determined by theCouncil, to take the relevant measures concerningthe political control and strategic directionof the operation.