Monti speaks out on foreign policy failure over Iraq

Date: 10/04/03

By Peter Chapman

MARIO Monti, the competition commissioner, has spoken out against the EU's foreign policy failure in the crisis over Iraq.

In an interview with Italian paper Corriere della Sera, Monti said differences over Iraq bolster the case for developing a fully-fledged common foreign and security policy.

If the EU had been able to act decisively under such a policy "what took place would not have taken place", he claimed.

"That is, eight Community member states, whose number subsequently increased when future members joined, taking a position not based on the promptings of the Commission, nor of the Council, nor the European Parliament, but on those of a newspaper not even belonging to the European Union - The Wall Street Journal."

The Italian was taking a swipe at the decision of those countries, including the UK, Spain and Poland, to pledge in the paper their support for the US stance over Iraq.

Mario Monti, the competition commissioner, has spoken out against the EU's foreign policy failure in the crisis over Iraq.