Madrid, Spain 4 June 2003

Statement by Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria Panel I: New Threats to Security and the Role of Partnership in Dealing with Them Over the last years the global security agenda has been characterized by a growing focus on the security of the individual citizens. The individual human being rather than the state as a whole is both actor and victim in a new set of security challenges. The vast majority of current violent conflicts occur within the boundaries of a single state. Civil populations comprise almost ninety percent of the victims of these internal conflicts. At the same time, the well-being of individuals is facing new trans-national threats for which military-based security alone has proven to be insufficient and to which national governments cannot respond in an adequate way without international cooperation. These new challenges include terrorism, the exploitation of women and children, illicit drugs, border security, environmental despoliation, organised crime and corruption, cyber crime, emerging new diseases, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the trade in small arms and light weapons. The new threats to security are both, the cause and the consequence of processes of the disintegration of societies and of state institutions. This is why strengthening the security of states and the international stability as a whole has a lot to do with sustaining the rule of law and preventing or dealing with crime, corruption and human rights violations. The endorsement of the Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism by the EAPC’s Heads of State and Government at the Prague Summit end of November last year was a significant step in intensifying our cooperation in this important area. The Action Plan is a valuable and comprehensive compilation of possible measures that we are committed to implement together. I would just like to highlight the possibility to develop Partnership Goals aiming at the improvement of the partners’ capabilities to participate in activities against terrorism. But as the long list of new threats clearly shows, the fight against terrorism covers only one – though important – aspect of the changing international security situation. Austria believes that EAPC and PfP, with their comprehensive concept of security, are excellent instruments for addressing also the wider range of new threats. We need to make the fullest use of all available tools including the cooperation in the scientific and environmental fields. At the same time, we have to make sure that our activities in this framework are well coordinated with the attempts in other fora, especially with those of the European Union. In order to avoid unnecessary duplication and a waste of resources, a well-structured and harmonized approach is indispensable. With regard to the new security threats the Alliance, the European Union and the Partnership share common strategic interests. In my opinion, possible areas of closer EU-NATO-coordination and cooperation with a potential to also involve interested partners are: civil emergency planning, the provision of help to nations in need with a view to improve their border control, the weapons of mass destruction and proliferation fields as well as cyber defence. In addition we should use the possibility to concert capabilities in relation to the defence against terrorism via the Planning and Review Process of the Partnership. The close link to NATO is one of the advantages of the Partnership. This special relationship needs to be safeguarded also in the future. In our view, the agendas of EAPC and PfP should mirror NATO’s various activities in the relevant fields in order to preserve flexible coordination and cooperation opportunities. For us, this is the area where the Partnership can “add value” to what is done elsewhere. The recent Conference on Border Security in Ohrid was an excellent example for a concerted approach involving all relevant actors in dealing with a complex problem. Austria is fully aware of the challenges ahead of us. With EAPC and PfP we dispose of important instruments. Building on our common objective of playing a significant role in countering the new threats to security we need to implement the decisions of Prague and to further develop the tools of the Partnership.