Europe must start talking to the BRICS collectively

The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - have emerged as a collective and coordinated player on the global stage and Europe must acknowledge this - writes MEP

In foreign policy, the term BRICS - referring to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is no longer just a catchphrase coined around trade and growth-related indicators. It does exist as a transcontinental foreign-policy actor and the European Union cannot ignore its existence any longer. A number of votes held in the United Nations Security Council show that those countries have come of age and started a certain form of foreign policy-making. Even if the internal situation differs from one country to another, where foreign policy objectives of the BRICS converge - they are ready to concert efforts and act jointly. It could be called a mutual-support network, but one that can be a convenient fall back option when the situation necessitates concerted action.

The abstention of the vote on the UN on Libya, the deadlock with the resolution on Syria, blocking the climate agreement in Durban or UN intervention in Sudan or Ivory Coast are the most recent examples of BRICS' concerted action; not forgetting the regrettable long-lasting blockade of the EU accession to the UN General Assembly. In April 2011, BRICS leaders issued a statement where they declared closer international cooperation.

There would be no reason for the EU to be worried by this emergence of BRICS as a single actor if, in most cases, the BRICS' positions were not opposed to the policies and objectives of the EU. This is enhanced by the fact that most of the BRICS countries enjoy the status of a privileged relationship with Europe, thanks to the individual strategic partnerships the EU has concluded with each country.

This situation should provide incentive for Europe to develop its own coordinated and coherent policy with regard to the BRICS. The need to act was reflected in the European Parliament's resolution adopted on February 2, where among other things - it encourages the EU to create a coordination mechanism within the European External Action Service. It would allow the geographical desk officer responsible for particular BRICS countries to exchange information and coordinate positions in cases where concerted action could be expected from their side too. This mechanism would not require a modification of the current EEAS structure and could be of a purely functional nature, facilitating the exchange of information and enhancing the monitoring of their positions with regards to global strategic issues. Such coordination, within the EEAS, did start to take place recently. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the EU maintains and develops this mechanism further.

It is important that the EU looks beyond the individual - country by country approach - when thinking about Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. We must try to look at which stances their common points of interest have brought them together on. One such common item is the feeling of marginalisation at a global level – especially, when it comes to the BRICS' participation in key institutions of world economic and financial governance. Not prejudging the outcome of a global discussion - the EP, in its report, indicated that better dialogue could be achieved through an improved reflection of this group in international forums. Without this dialogue, we risk more and more pronounced fragmentation of global politics and the emergence of several competing blocs of influence that post-Cold War Europe wanted to avoid. Nevertheless, if the EU still intends to maintain its position on the global scene it has to act fast and consolidate its external policy.

Jacek Saryusz-Wolski is a Polish MEP and member of the European People's Party group in the European Parliament