I am concerned that, more than a year after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into effect, there are still no clear signs of a comprehensive EU approach to foreign and security policy, within the framework of which it would be possible to overcome the traditional procedural and institutional barriers restricting the EU's ability to act. I am concerned about the unwillingness of EU Member States to define a common position on the crisis in Libya, or on UN Security Council Resolution 1973 and how to implement it. Ideas about creating ad hoc coalitions of countries as possible substitutes for a common security and defence policy are dangerous, in my opinion, as no European state in the 21st century has a real chance of being a significant player in the area of security and defence. I would like to point out in this context that the Treaty of Lisbon provides the possibility of entrusting the implementation of crisis-resolution operations to a group of Member States, although only within the framework of a Council decision defining the objectives, scope and terms of their implementation. A common response to the developments in Libya is essential to the creation of a new and credible approach to the Neighbourhood Policy with southern countries.