Presenting a new strategy paper for the EU's dealings with the UN, Brussels complained that Europe was the multinational body's biggest financial donor but too often failed to punch above its economic weight.

The Commission said the EU had made the running in key UN debates such as the Kyoto agreement against global warming and in setting up the International Criminal Court.

It should extend this proactive approach "much more widely in areas such as counter-terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, or human rights", the paper said.

The EU should also work more closely with UN agencies on the ground, especially in the fields of human rights and conflict prevention, the Commission said.

More controversially, it urged EU member states to agree common approaches for UN debates and votes.

External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten admitted that "well-intentioned, well-judged, thoughtful proposals on institutional changes... don't make up for a lack of political will, when it exists".

In particular, Patten said Britain and France, as the EU's only permanent members of the UN Security Council, needed to coordinate their approaches better following the painful rifts exposed by the Iraq conflict.

"It's exceptionally difficult for us to develop a coherent common foreign and security policy right across the board if there isn't agreement on the crucial issues" between the pair, he told a news conference.

Patten, who criticised US foreign policy in the run-up to the war in Iraq, added that it was in everyone's interests now to come together to help rebuild the country.

"This is a big challenge for us in Europe and America, and unless we're capable of rising to it, I think the consequences for our societies are pretty grim for years ahead," he warned.

SPACE.WIRE