Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU foreign policy vision reanimates constitution ideas

The European Commission is seeking closer co-operation with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and signaling a renewed interest in the idea of an EU diplomatic service, according to a new paper on the union's role in the world.

A draft of the paper, due to be presented by commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner on Thursday (8 June), is unusually critical in listing a series of defects in current EU foreign policy practice.

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"The impact and effectiveness of our action is often hampered by mixed messages as well as slow and complex implementing procedures," the document says.

"Even when there is sufficient political will, the EU's impact falls short when there are unresolved tensions or a lack of coherence between different policies."

There is, for example, no clear "consistency" between external trade policy and agricultural policy, or between trade and human rights objectives, Brussels writes in the paper called "Europe in the world – some practical proposals for greater coherence, effectiveness and visibility."

To tackle the detected shortcomings, Brussels proposes a raft of measures which appear to reflect ideas in the EU constitution, frozen by EU leaders after French and Dutch voters rejected the text last year.

One of the constitution's prime innovations is the EU foreign minister, who would be the member states' joint foreign policy representative but at the same time sit in the commission as a vice-president.

The charter also foresees that the EU foreign minister would head a common diplomatic service of the union.

Solana role under discussion

Brussels is careful to note that the paper is "not intended to reopen a debate on the future of the constitutional treaty or to redefine the respective responsibilities of the different institutional actors."

But the paper does seek further integration of commission and member states' foreign policy agendas - which is the main logic behind the reforms proposed in the constitution.

The commission itself plans to strengthen its "Relex" (external relations) group of commissioners under the authority of president Barroso, with member states' foreign policy chief Solana being invited to work closely together with the Relex team.

Several versions of the draft paper indicate Brussels is struggling with the degree of Mr Solana's involvement however, with one draft stating he should be "systematically involved" while another uses the more low-key wording "associated."

The strength of Mr Solana's role is controversial among member states, with Paris favouring a stronger position while smaller states like Belgium and the Netherlands are worried he operates beyond their control.

The paper also proposes intensified contacts between the commission and the Council Policy Unit, the member states' foreign policy secretariat, as well as more joint commission-council papers, summit preparations and press releases.

Diplomatic service

Meanwhile in the Balkans, the commission draws inspiration from an example currently in use in Macedonia, where the EU's special representative on behalf of member states also heads the commission delegation in Skopje.

"Such arrangements should draw on the positive experience of double-hatting in Skopje, aimed to unite the EU's presence as far as possible in Sarajevo and Pristina," says the report.

More controversial however are plans reminiscent of the EU consular service as included in the frozen constitution.

Not only does the commission propose to exchange more personnel with diplomatic services of member states and the council secretariat, but the paper also suggests that "the EU should give further consideration to sharing of premises and support services for member state and EU external representations in third countries."

The UK voiced strong uneasiness with the EU diplomatic service notion during the talks on the EU constitution, with the then foreign minister Jack Straw saying "You find all sorts of odd-bods from the EU running various sorts of odd offices around the world."

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