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123-704: The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission ( HR/VP ) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held by Josep Borrell Fontelles . Former prime minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas is expected to succeed him in late 2024. The Treaty of Amsterdam had established

246-604: A common foreign and security policy in due time. The wording of this article is taken from the existing Treaty on European Union . The TCE was going to state explicitly that the EU had a legal personality . Prior to this, the treaties explicitly stated that the European Community , the European Coal and Steel Community and Euratom each had their own separate legal personality, but remained silent over whether

369-687: A Commission vice-president . In the UN the EU has gained influence in areas such as aid due to its large contributions in that field (see below). In the G8 and the G20 , the EU has the rights of membership besides that of chairing/hosting summit meetings. The EU is represented at the G8 by the presidents of the commission and the council. At the G20, its exact representation depends on

492-513: A Constitution for Europe was signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 by 53 senior political figures from the 25 member states of the European Union . In most cases heads of state designated plenipotentiaries to sign the treaty, but some presidents also signed on behalf of states which were republics. Most designated plenipotentiaries were prime ministers and foreign ministers. On 12 January 2005

615-595: A Constitution. Romano Prodi , the President of the European Commission , backed a draft text, termed the ' Penelope Project ', which contained a deeper integration of the countries and a clearer institutional model. After protracted negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) during the Italian presidency, disputes arose over the proposed framework for qualified majority voting :

738-512: A big change compared with the current situation. It would put an end to the double job which exists between the current function of Mr Javier Solana, and that carried out within the Commission by Mme Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in charge of the external aid of the EU. One and the same person would therefore deal with problems and respond to the famous telephone calls of Henry Kissinger: ‘ I want to speak to Europe.' " The High Representative

861-407: A defence meeting to attend the inauguration of Ukraine's Prime Minister alleged bias towards British officials, lack of language skills and risking a UK-French feud over creating an EU military planning headquarters. She has been defended by some, including Commissioner Günther Oettinger , on the ground that she has had to take on a job that combines three previous jobs and is working on establishing

984-466: A few countries have reached that target. In 2005, EU aid was 0.34% of GNP, which was higher than that of the United States and Japan. The ex commissioner for aid , Louis Michel , has called for aid to be delivered more rapidly, to greater effect, and on humanitarian principles. Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty was signed on 29 October 2004 by representatives of

1107-518: A low-water mark of the CFSP . Solana operated as a "quiet diplomat", and found himself frequently pushed to the side in negotiations and sent on missions known to be impossible. Solana has played an important role working toward a resolution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict , and continues to be a primary architect of the " Road map for Peace ", along with the UN, Russia, and the United States in

1230-484: A member of the EU act as an incentive for both political and economic reform in states wishing to fulfil the EU's accession criteria, and are considered a major factor contributing to the reform and stabilisation of former Communist countries in Eastern Europe. This influence on the internal affairs of other countries is generally referred to as " soft power ", as opposed to military "hard power". An example of

1353-537: A new candidate. After numerous candidates were put forward, EU leaders agreed on Catherine Ashton from the United Kingdom as the first merged High Representative. Ashton was previously the European Commissioner for Trade and otherwise had no foreign affairs experience. Ashton unexpectedly came to the top of the shortlist when she was nominated unanimously by the centre-left leaders who claimed

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1476-515: A nuclear material enrichment freeze with Iran. In the same month he was involved in mediating between the two presidential candidates in the post-election developments in Ukraine, and on 21 January 2005 he invited Ukraine's new President Viktor Yushchenko to discuss future EU membership. Although Solana was originally selected to be the first Foreign Minister, the delays in introducing the post meant that after 10 years of service he stood aside for

1599-610: A priority the recognition of the Christian tradition in the Preamble" and noting that the list of signatories was not exhaustive as they hoped other countries would join their initiative. The Greek government likewise supported a reference to Christianity. The strongest opponents of any reference to Christianity were France and Belgium . Other countries opposing such a reference were Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, and Cyprus. Among other nations, Spain originally supported

1722-475: A problem for the EEAS, when it comes to public diplomacy, and reflects the system we have for choosing leaders. Too often, the EEAS is waiting until the last member state signs up to the position; they could set out a view much earlier. When you look at places like Egypt – Cathy has been five times, but people are still not quite sure what the EEAS does or who speaks for Europe. The glass is less than half full. I think

1845-571: A referendum, a proposal which he had previously rejected. A further seven member states announced or had already announced that they would hold referendums on the Constitution, these being Denmark , France , Ireland , Luxembourg , the Netherlands , Spain and Portugal . Spain was the first country to hold a referendum on the Constitution. On 20 February 2005, Spanish voters backed the treaty with 76% voting in favour to 24% against, on

1968-664: A similar guarantee on neutrality in relation to the Treaty of Lisbon was granted to Ireland at the European Council of 18/19 June 2009: The European Council also agreed that other concerns of the Irish people, as presented by the Taoiseach, relating to taxation policy, the right to life, education and the family, and Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality, would be addressed to the mutual satisfaction of Ireland and

2091-519: A specific part of the EU's external relations , which domains include mainly Trade and Commercial Policy and other areas such as funding to third countries, etc. Decisions require unanimity among member states in the Council of the European Union , but once agreed, certain aspects can be further decided by qualified majority voting . Foreign policy is chaired and represented by the EU's High Representative , currently Josep Borrell . The CFSP sees

2214-643: A turnout of 43%. On 29 May 2005, the French people rejected the Constitution by a margin of 55% to 45% on a turnout of 69%. On 1 June, the Dutch people rejected the constitution by a margin of 61% to 39% on a turnout of 62%. Notwithstanding the rejection in France and the Netherlands, Luxembourg held a referendum on 10 July 2005 approving the Constitution by 57% to 43%. It was the last referendum to be held on

2337-633: A vice-president but less than the Commission President) of the highest grade of the EU civil service (grade 16, step 3), which works out at €23,006.98. There are other allowances on top of that as all other conditions of employment for the High Representative are aligned to that of the Commission. The Amsterdam Treaty introduced the post of High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy to represent

2460-473: Is a principle to which lip service only is paid and, in practice, the reach of the EU has been increasingly ambitious. Amongst European countries, the European Court of Justice has consistently ruled since 1964 that EU law has primacy over the laws of member states in the areas where member states allow it to legislate. National law that is incompatible with an agreement already made at European level

2583-437: Is already its informal title. The "General Affairs Council" would have been formally split from the "Foreign Affairs Council", which had informally held meetings separately since June 2002. The TCE proposed the formal recognition of a flag , an anthem and a motto for the Union, although none of them were new. The TCE would have reiterated several key principles of how the Union functions: The TCE would have specified that

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2706-465: Is appointed by the European Council acting by qualified majority. However, in order to take up their role in the Commission, in particular as a vice-president, the High Representative has to appear before Parliament for questioning and then be subject to Parliament's vote of approval on the proposed Commission. The basic monthly salary of the High Representative is fixed at 130% (higher than

2829-584: Is deemed to be 'disapplied' when questions arise in courts. This controversial and fundamental principle of European Community law was first recognised in the case of Van Gend en Loos in 1963 which was followed in Costa v. ENEL in 1964. The TCE would have maintained the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (articles III-353 et seq.). It would further have rendered the (at that point) non-binding Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding. Unlike

2952-590: Is discrete and perceptive, but also tenacious. That makes her an ideal negotiator", says Alexander Graf Lamsdorff, the head of Germany's business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the European Parliament and a member of its Committee on Foreign Affairs. After the November 2013 negotiation of an interim agreement with Iran over its nuclear program,. the Financial Times wrote that Ashton

3075-664: Is responsible for proposing and implementing CSDP decisions. Such decisions are taken by the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), generally requiring unanimity. The CSDP organisation, headed by the HR/VP, comprises relevant sections of the External Action Service (EEAS) – including the operational headquarters (MPCC) of the Military Staff (EUMS) – a number of FAC preparatory bodies – such as

3198-694: Is the part of the CFSP that relates to defence and crisis management, implemented by EU structures in CSDP missions drawing on civilian and military assets provided by member states . Based on articles 42–46 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the CSDP also entails a mutual defence clause amongst member states as well as a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in which 25 of the 28 national armed forces pursue structural integration . Article 42.2 of TEU states that

3321-607: The Financial Times among other European newspapers reported that her nomination proposal had been opposed by some eastern European countries, including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, where her stance towards Russia concerning the Ukrainian crisis was considered to be too soft. Nonetheless, on 2 August 2014, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally nominated her by letter to EC President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker , as Italy's official candidate for EU Commissioner. On 30 August, Europe's socialist Prime Ministers met prior to

3444-481: The Cologne European Council as Council Secretary-General and High Representative. He took up the post on 18 October 1999, shortly after standing down from NATO. The post had a budget of €40 million, most of which goes to Balkan operations. During his tenure, the position was expanded rapidly, with several more functions combined into the function of High Representative. From 25 November 1999 he

3567-629: The EU to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights . As stated in Articles I-1 and I-2 , the Union is open to all European States that respect the member states' common values , namely: Member states also declare that the following principles prevail in their society: Some of these provisions would have been codified for the first time in the TCE. The aims of the EU were stated to be ( Article I-3 ): In its relations with

3690-490: The European Council of 29 November 2005 updated the list of these organizations, Besides its own foreign and security policy, the commission is also gaining greater representation in international bodies. Representation in international bodies is previously through the European Commissioner for External Relations , who worked alongside the High Representative, but now with the High Representative directly as

3813-530: The European Parliament as Council President declared: Mr Pflüger described Finland as neutral. I must correct him on that: Finland is a member of the EU. We were at one time a politically neutral country, during the time of the Iron Curtain . Now we are a member of the Union, part of this community of values, which has a common policy and, moreover, a common foreign policy. Nevertheless,

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3936-601: The European Parliament voted a legally non-binding resolution in support of the Constitution by 500 votes in favour to 137 votes against, with 40 abstentions. Before an EU treaty can enter into force, it must be ratified by all member states. Ratification takes different forms in each country, depending on its traditions, constitutional arrangements and political processes. Most member states ratify EU treaties following parliamentary votes, while some — notably Ireland and Denmark — sometimes hold referendums, in Ireland's case where

4059-429: The Foreign Affairs Council and representing the EU in international fora, roles which were previously exercised by the foreign minister of the country holding the presidency of the European Union (along with the foreign minister of the country previously holding the presidency and the one to take it next). Despite the name change, many parts of the media still referred to it as a foreign minister and in negotiations it

4182-606: The Laeken European Council in December 2001. A European Convention was founded shortly afterward; this was chaired by former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and composed of two Members of Parliament (generally one from the governing majority and one from the opposition) of each Member State and applicant state, 16 MEPs, two members of the European Commission and a representative from each government. It met in public. Giscard d'Estaing proposed to draft

4305-666: The Military Committee (EUMC) – as well as four Agencies , including the Defence Agency (EDA). Since 2017, the CSDP has also been facilitated by a defence fund and a Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD). Although the Irish people were reassured of their neutrality before agreeing to the Nice Treaty , the Finnish Prime Minister , Matti Vanhanen , on 5 July 2006, while speaking to

4428-491: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as responsible for the territorial defence of Europe and reconciliation. However, since 1999, the European Union is responsible for implementing missions such as peacekeeping and policing of treaties. A phrase often used to describe the relationship between the EU forces and NATO is "separable, but not separate". The same forces and capabilities form

4551-700: The Quartet on the Middle East . On 22 July 2004, he met Ariel Sharon in Israel. Sharon had originally refused to meet him, but eventually accepted that the EU was involved in the Road Map. Solana criticised Israel for obstructing the Palestinian presidential election of 9 January 2005, but then met Sharon again on 13 January. In November 2004 he assisted the United Kingdom, France and Germany in negotiating

4674-646: The Treaty of Lisbon , it incorporated the text of the Charter in the Treaty itself (see Part II of the TCE). This included various adjustments to the Charter as promulgated in 2000, including granting persuasive value to the Explanations to the Charter (see article II-112(7) and Declaration 12 to the TCE). This would continue to exist alongside the protection of fundamental rights as general principles of EU law (article (I-9(3) TCE). Further, article I-9(2) TCE required

4797-718: The Western European Union (see defence, below) are the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC). The EUISS is the European Union's in-house think tank. Its mission is to find a common security culture for the EU, to help develop and project the CFSP, and to enrich Europe's strategic debate. The EUSC is providing analysis of satellite imagery and collateral data. The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

4920-714: The "barbaric and terrorist attack" by Hamas on Israel which started the 2023 Israel–Hamas war . On 10 October 2023, Borrell accused Israel of breaking international law by imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip . On 3 January 2024, he condemned the comments of the Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich , writing, "Forced displacements are strictly prohibited as a grave violation of [international humanitarian law] & words matter." On 29 January 2024, Borrell told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that funding toward UNRWA has not been suspended and

5043-538: The British Government said that it did not have binding effect. Incorporation into TCE would have put its importance beyond doubt. The TCE made an effort to simplify jargon and reduce the number of EU legal instruments. However, it is a long document couched in technical terms, which proved unpopular when presented (for example) to French voters in their referendum on the TCE. The TCE unifies legal instruments across areas of policy (referred to as pillars of

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5166-589: The CFSP. The European Union considers to be terrorist organisations those groups or those entities that are controlled directly or indirectly by persons who commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts, participating in these groups, or facilitating the execution of terrorist plans. It also includes defining those groups and entities acting on behalf or under the direction of such persons, groups and entities, including funds derived or generated from property owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such persons or by associated persons, groups and entities. The watch list

5289-480: The CSDP includes the 'progressive framing' of a common Union defence policy, and will lead to a common defence, when the European Council of national heads of state or government, acting unanimously, so decides. When participating in CSDP missions abroad for peace-keeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter ,

5412-549: The Commission or the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs.) The unanimous agreement of all member states would only be required for decisions on more sensitive issues, such as tax, social security, foreign policy and defence. The six-month rotating Presidency of the European Council would switch to a chair chosen by the heads of government, in office for 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years and renewable once. The role itself would remain administrative and non-executive, but rather than

5535-556: The Commission) including security initiatives and intelligence sharing. However, although the High Representative may prepare initiatives, decisions will still have to be taken by the member states in Council. The High Representative would also have to report to Parliament. With the growth in role of the High Representative, and their exclusion from the European Council, the national foreign ministers are now uncertain of their role vs

5658-543: The Common Foreign and Security Policy and, under the European Constitution , had been designated to be titled the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs . This latter title, as EU Foreign Minister is still applied by commentators and sections of the media as a publicly recognisable shorthand for the post. The style High Representative equates to that of High Commissioner in diplomatic circles. Since

5781-534: The Constitution failed to be ratified, its replacement, the Treaty of Lisbon, retained the change under a different name. The new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy would still merge the External Relations Commissioner with the High Representative and, like the Constitution, would have it backed up by an External Action Service . The new role also took over other foreign affairs roles, such as chairing

5904-440: The Constitution, for all of the other member states that had proposed to hold referendums cancelled them. After the French and Dutch referendum results, European leaders decided to hold a "period of reflection" on what to do next. As part of this reflection period, a "group of wise men" was set up to consider possible courses of action. This group of high-level European politicians – former prime ministers, ministers and members of

6027-647: The EEAS on 1 December 2010 at a low key event where she outlined her key priorities as relations with the US and China, climate change, poverty eradication, crisis management and counter-terrorism. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake , Ashton chaired a meeting of the foreign relations, development and environment DGs and experts from the Council and the Situation Centre (the EU intelligence-gathering agency). There they agreed on €3 million in aid, to look for further financial assistance, to send personnel to assess

6150-467: The EEAS so she is unable to take on everything at once, nor please everyone. Despite early Spanish assistance during 2010, Ashton did find herself competing with the Spanish foreign minister on who was going to be speaking for the EU and the need to find consensus between the member states and institutions pushed back the expected operational date of the EEAS from spring 2010 to December 2010. In contrast to

6273-469: The EU as new 'shared competences' the areas of territorial cohesion, energy, and space. These are areas where the EU may act alongside its individual member states. The EU has conferred upon it as new areas of 'supporting, coordinating or complementary action' the areas of tourism, sport, and administrative co-operation. Member states would have continued to co-operate in some areas of criminal judicial proceedings where they agree to do so, as at present. Under

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6396-716: The EU at international fora and co-ordinating the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy , the High Representative is: According to proposals made in 2009 by the Swedish EU presidency, the High Representative will control the staffing and budget of the EEAS , and propose the size of budget to be allocated. The High Representative is responsible for appointing EEAS staff and for controlling general foreign policy (outside of trade, development and enlargement which has to be made together with

6519-421: The EU has been "most attentive to human rights violations in non-EU European states, followed by countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while it has been least active in Asia and the Americas". The European Peace Facility (EPF) is an off-budget EU financing instrument set up in March 2021, aiming towards the delivering of military aid to partner countries and funding the deployment of EU military missions abroad under

6642-424: The EU is a union of member states, and that all its competences (areas of responsibility) are voluntarily conferred on it by its member states according to the principle of conferral . The EU would have no competences by right, and thus any areas of policy not explicitly specified in the Constitution would have remained the domain of the sovereign member states (notwithstanding the ‘flexibility clause'). According to

6765-408: The EU on the world stage. It was decided that the Secretary-General of the Council would be the High Representative. This meant that the Secretary-General at the time, Jürgen Trumpf , was the first High Representative, although he only served for a few months. The first permanent High Representative was Javier Solana Madariaga , former Secretary General of NATO . He was appointed on 4 July 1999 at

6888-464: The EU will determine funding decisions after the investigation. Borrell stated, "We shouldn’t let allegations cloud UNRWA’s indispensable and great work." In March 2024, Borrell said Israel's depriving food from Palestinians was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and described the Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident as "totally unacceptable carnage". Following the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on Israel's occupation of

7011-403: The EU's fight against terrorism. He has negotiated numerous Treaties of Association between the European Union and various Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, including Bolivia and Colombia. Solana played a pivotal role in unifying the remainder of the former Yugoslavian federation. He proposed that Montenegro form a union with Serbia instead of having full independence, stating that this

7134-425: The EU, or where the EU has ceased to act (though these are areas where member states may act both nationally and through the EU if they wish). Three new competences have been added to those in previous treaties. There are a number of areas where the EU may take only supporting, coordinating or complementary action . In these areas, member states do not confer any competences on the Union, but they agree to act through

7257-443: The European Commission – first met on 30 September 2006 in Rome. On 4 June 2007, this group, known as the Amato Group , presented its report. They proposed to establish a new Inter-Governmental Conference with a view to writing a new treaty which would rewrite the Maastricht Treaty , amend the Treaty of Rome and give the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union a legally binding status. The new treaty would be based on

7380-424: The European Union in previous treaties). Specifically: Under the TCE, the role of High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy would be amalgamated with the role of the Commissioner for External Relations . This would create a new Union Minister for Foreign Affairs who would also be a Vice President of the Commission. This individual would be responsible for co-ordinating foreign policy across

7503-429: The European Union itself had one. They did mandate the EU "to assert its identity on the international scene", and permitted the European Union to enter into treaties. Brsakoska-Bazerkoska, and Choutheete and Ndoura argue that the EU had an implicit legal personality prior to the Treaty of Lisbon; the latter treaty also contained an express statement that the EU had a legal personality. The TCE would have conferred upon

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7626-459: The High Representative for the common foreign and security policy." Thus, Javier Solana became the first permanent High Representative. Initially the post was much more limited in scope than the present one created in 2009 by the Treaty of Lisbon . The European Constitution proposed to merge the European Commissioner for External Relations with the High Representative to create a Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy . Although

7749-503: The High Representative is ex officio a Vice-President of the European Commission, the office-holder is sometimes referred to as the HR/VP . Where foreign matters are agreed between EU member states , the High Representative can speak for the EU in that area, such as negotiating on behalf of the member states. The Representative co-ordinates the work of the European Union Special Representatives as well as other appointments such as anti-terrorist co-ordinator. Beside representing

7872-442: The High Representative. At an informal meeting in Finland it was mooted that they could serve as special envoys on the High Representative's behalf. This has been backed by Ashton who said that so long as the EU spoke with one voice, it did not matter who was speaking. The post was introduced under the Treaty of Amsterdam . The Treaty stated that the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union should have "the function of

7995-402: The Lisbon Treaty taking effect, the position became distinct from the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers . The High Representative serves as the head of the European Defence Agency and exercises the same functions over the Common Security and Defence Policy as the CFSP. On 1 December 2009, Catherine Ashton took over Javier Solana 's post as the High Representative, who has held

8118-467: The Member States, together with its president and the President of the Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy shall take part in its work. and in Article 18 : Common Foreign and Security Policy The Common Foreign and Security Policy ( CFSP ) is the organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union (EU) for mainly security and defence diplomacy and actions. CFSP deals only with

8241-424: The Palestinian territories , Borrell stated that international law is 'binding', and called for the EU foreign ministers to "to move on from words to deeds" regarding Israel's failure to comply with international legality in Gaza and the West Bank. The Treaty on European Union , as amended by the Treaty of Lisbon, provides in Article 15(2) : The European Council shall consist of the Heads of State or Government of

8364-430: The Presidency being held by a member state as at present, it would be held by an individual elected by and accountable to the Council. The six-month rotating Presidency of the Council of Ministers , which currently coincides with the Presidency of the European Council , would be changed to an 18-month rotating Presidency shared by a trio of member countries, in an attempt to provide more continuity. The exception would be

8487-472: The Spanish position, in 2011 Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski said he would act as Ashton's "loyal deputy". Secretary General Pierre Vimont joined those defending Ashton from criticism; praising her work in opening the EEAS office in Benghazi , Libya as making the EEAS very popular in Libya. He also supported her over Syria and has asked her to stand for a second term. Polish Minister for Europe, Mikołaj Dowgielewicz , also stated criticism against Ashton

8610-443: The TCE, seven new areas of co-operation would have been added: The new solidarity clause of the TCE specifies that any member state which falls victim to a terrorist attack or other disaster will receive assistance from other member states, if it requests it. The type of assistance to be offered is not specified. Instead, the arrangements are to be decided by the Council of Ministers should the situation arise. Provision exists for

8733-453: The TCE, the EU may act (i.e. make laws) only where its member states agree unanimously that actions by individual countries would be insufficient. This is the principle of subsidiarity and is based on the legal and political principle that governmental decisions should be taken as close to the people as possible while still remaining effective. It is a main argument against claims that Europe limits national sovereignty , but critics say that it

8856-475: The Team Europe aid package to support partner countries to address the pandemic and its economic consequences by providing an overall financial support of over €20 billion. "In this global pandemic, international solidarity is not just a matter of staying true to our values", Josep Borrell Fontelles, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said. "It is also about making sure that we win

8979-491: The Treaty of Lisbon created a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , de facto merging the post of High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy . Since December 2011 the High Representative (HR) is in charge of the European External Action Service (EEAS), which

9102-449: The Union in order to support their work at national level. Again, three new competences have been added to those from previous treaties. The TCE's flexibility clause allows the EU to act in areas not made explicit in the TCE, but only: This clause has been present in EU law since the original Treaty of Rome, which established the EEC in 1958. The EU is charged with defining and implementing

9225-413: The Union, representing the EU abroad in areas where member states agree to speak with one voice. More day-to-day decisions in the Council of Ministers would be to be taken by qualified majority voting , requiring a 55% majority of members of the Council representing a 65% majority of citizens. (The 55% is raised to 72% when the Council acts on its own initiative rather than on a legislative proposal from

9348-558: The aim of creating a common approach to foreign policy issues and promoting both the EC's own interests and those of the international community as a whole. This includes promoting international co-operation, respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law . The weaknesses evident in EPC, apparent, for example during the Yugoslav wars , led to a desire to strengthen foreign policy. That

9471-483: The basis of both EU and NATO efforts, but portions can be allocated to the European Union if necessary. Co-operation in international trade negotiations, under the EU's Common Commercial Policy , dates back to the establishment of the community in 1957. The CFSP itself has its origins in the formation of European Political Co-operation (EPC) in 1970. European Political Co-operation was an informal consultation process between member states on foreign policy matters, with

9594-613: The changes that were originally placed in the Constitutional Treaty but, instead of repealing and replacing the existing treaties, simply amended them and abandoned the idea of a single codified constitution. Signed on 13 December 2007, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009. The drafting of the European Constitution began in a call for a new debate on the future of Europe, made at

9717-410: The coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, was Catherine Ashton . Early in the first term of the post, the office-holder became assisted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) that was set up in December 2010. The formal title of the High Representative is "High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy". This post was previously styled as High Representative of

9840-651: The convening of the European Council , at which she received the approval of the Party of European Socialists . On the same day the President Herman Van Rompuy announced that the European Council had decided to appoint the Italian Minister as its new High Representative, effective from 1 November 2014. At her first press conference, she declared that her efforts would be devoted to establishing discussions between Russia and Ukraine to solve

9963-414: The creation of a European Public Prosecutor 's Office, if all member states agree to it and if the European Parliament gives its consent. The TCE includes a copy of the Charter already agreed to by all EU member states. This is included in the Constitution so that EU institutions themselves are obliged to conform to the same standards of fundamental rights. At the time of the Charter's original agreement,

10086-653: The crisis between the two countries. In 2015, Mogherini won praise for her role in negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , an international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran , and along with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was the one to announce the accord to the world. In February 2015, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker appointed Michel Barnier ,

10209-656: The criticism of Ashton is down to style and morale in the EEAS is not as good as it should be." Ashton chaired the meetings between the E3/EU+3 (P5+1 countries and the EU) and Iran in Geneva, which led to an interim agreement on 24 November 2013, and the Joint Plan of Action . The tone of public comment on Aston's performance in office was subsequently to be influenced especially by her contributions to negotiations over Kosovo and

10332-589: The existing treaties (primarily the Treaty of Rome and the Treaty of Maastricht). These negotiations were completed by the end of the year. The new treaty, which had previously been referred to as the Reform Treaty , became the Lisbon Treaty on its signing in Lisbon on 13 December 2007. Under the TCE, the Council of the European Union would have been formally renamed the "Council of Ministers", which

10455-458: The fight against the virus together." "Unless the virus is defeated everywhere, it is not defeated. A global pandemic can only be solved globally, with united, swift and decisive global action, as we are presenting it today", Borrell Fontelles added. In the wake of the 18 February 2022 Russian declaration on L/DPR (the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic ), High Representative Borrell warned Moscow to return to

10578-684: The final text of the TCE was settled in June 2004 under the Irish presidency. Several countries urged that the preamble of the Constitution include a reference to Christianity . Among these were Italy , Lithuania , Malta , Poland , Portugal , the Czech Republic , and Slovakia , which in May 2004 sent a letter to the Irish Presidency, saying "the governments of those countries consider as

10701-433: The first and fourth parts of the Constitution, the rest of the Constitution's changes being achieved through amendments to the Treaty of Rome. In the June 2007 European summit meeting, member states agreed to abandon the constitution and to amend the existing treaties, which would remain in force. They also agreed a detailed mandate for a new intergovernmental conference to negotiate a new treaty containing such amendments to

10824-550: The format of the individual meetings and may also include officials from the ECB . For all of these meetings, the EU has established informal processes to coordinate its policies. In the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where all 27 member states are represented, the EU as a body is represented by Trade Commissioner . The influence of the EU is also felt through the enlargement . The potential benefits of becoming

10947-626: The former EU Internal Market Commissioner, as his special advisor on defence and security. Juncker stated that Barnier's role will be to advise the European Commission and particularly the EUHRVP Federica Mogherini on important defence and security issues. Barnier's appointment came on the heels of the nomination of senior French diplomat Alain Le Roy as the new Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS or EAS). In 2020, EU Development Ministers have launched

11070-534: The fulfilment of Henry Kissinger 's famous desire to have a phone number to talk to Europe. In December 2003 Solana released the European Security Strategy , which sets out the main priorities and identifies the main threats to the security of the EU, including terrorism. On 25 March 2004, Solana appointed Gijs de Vries as the anti-terrorist co-ordinator for the CFSP, and outlined de Vries's duties as being to streamline, organise and co-ordinate

11193-467: The inclusion of a reference to Christianity, but the incoming Zapatero government reversed the stance of its predecessor. Eventually the agreed-upon Constitution made no explicit references to Christianity, only mentioning the "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe". This decision caused disappointment in the Vatican, but satisfaction from candidate state Turkey. The Treaty establishing

11316-438: The international situation in the areas covered by the CFSP and contributes by delivering opinions to the Council of Ministers, either at its request or its own initiative, and also monitors the implementation of agreed policies. The European Defence Agency (EDA) encourages increase in defence capabilities, military research and the establishment of a European internal market for military technology. Two bodies carried over from

11439-425: The member states. Common positions on the other hand, define the approach that the EU takes on a certain matter of geographical or thematic nature, and define in the abstract the general guidelines to which the national policies of Member states must conform. The High Representative , in conjunction with the President of the European Council , speaks on behalf of the EU in agreed foreign policy matters and can have

11562-511: The most difficult moments of his job were when the United Kingdom and France, the two permanent EU Security Council members, were in disagreement . The so-called Vilnius letter , a declaration of support by eastern European countries for the United States' aim of régime change in Iraq, and the letter of the eight , a similar letter from the UK, Italy, and six second-tier countries, are generally seen as

11685-614: The national armed forces may either act in an existing national force framework, as part of an intergovemental force made available to the CSDP through article 42.3 of TEU, such as the European Corps (Eurocorps), the EU Battlegroups (EUBG) or the European Gendarmerie Force (Eurogendfor). The Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP), currently Josep Borrell ,

11808-424: The normalisation of its relationship with Serbia, and over Iran over its nuclear program. In October 2013, Der Spiegel wrote of her: But now the 57-year-old baroness is suddenly at the center of world diplomacy. And whenever she is mentioned, she earns praise for her hard-nosed negotiating skills, her stamina and her diplomatic talents. It is said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has much faith in her. "She

11931-566: The other Member States, by way of the necessary legal guarantees. EU foreign policy is committed to the protection of human rights. Research suggests that rhetoric along these lines from EU decision-makers is consistent with actual EU foreign policy activity. Military and economic interventions by the EU are consistently more likely in countries where violence explicitly targets civilians. Likewise, human rights sanctions are consistently applied against states responsible for human rights violations. Geostrategic concerns also influence EU action, as

12054-483: The other institutions. The Amsterdam Treaty created the office of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (held by Javier Solana until 1 December 2009) to co-ordinate and represent the EU's foreign policy. The Treaty of Lisbon took effect in December 2009 and brought an end to the pillar system. The CFSP's status of being a "pillar" thus ended. Furthermore, in an effort to ensure greater co-ordination and consistency in EU foreign policy,

12177-551: The others agreed to this was significant. For China and Russia to be outside while she was in the room negotiating details was quite remarkable". In July 2014, given the large number of Italian MEPs belonging to the S&;D group following the 2014 election , the European Council considered her as a candidate for the position of High Representative, in Jean-Claude Juncker 's new European Commission . On 13 July 2014,

12300-502: The position of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy . The position was augmented by the Treaty of Lisbon , which established its current title and powers, including a seat on the European Commission as Vice-President, and a chair of the council of EU foreign ministers . The first person to hold the full title of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, inaugurated upon

12423-489: The post since 1999. On 30 August 2014 it was announced by Herman Van Rompuy that Federica Mogherini would be the new High Representative, effective on 1 November 2014. There are a number of bodies set up within the context of the CFSP. Within the council, there is the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) configuration, essentially a meeting of foreign ministers and the Political and Security Committee or PSC, which monitors

12546-738: The post. Ashton was confirmed by the European Parliament before she took up the post. In the same European Council meeting, Pierre de Boissieu was appointed Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union , showing that the High Representative and the Secretary-General will no longer be the same person. In October 2010 most major appointments to the EEAS were made, including Pierre Vimont (France) as Secretary General, Helga Schmid (Germany) and Maciej Popowski (Poland) as Deputy Secretaries General and David O'Sullivan (Ireland) as chief operating officer. Slowly other staff and ambassadors were appointed in cycles. Ashton formally launched

12669-404: The principles and general guidelines for the CFSP as well as common strategies to be implemented by the EU. On the basis of those guidelines the Council of Ministers adopts joint actions or common positions . Joint actions address specific situations where operation action by the EU is considered necessary and lay down the objectives, scope and means to be made available to the EU. They commit

12792-538: The rotating Council presidency that would have taken charge before the Treaty of Lisbon, took a back seat though assisted, for example by offering use of the Spanish base in Panama. However, the majority of aid relief was dealt with bilaterally between Haiti and individual member states and Ashton was criticised afterward for being one of the few foreign representatives not to travel to Haiti personally. Despite EU ministers then agreeing to deploy European gendarmes , criticism

12915-463: The situation and to co-ordinate pledges from member states. Ashton then chaired a meeting of member states' ambassadors and acted as a general co-ordinator; for example contacts from the UN went via Ashton. Although she refused to describe it as the first act of the external action service, Ashton did emphasise that it was the first time that such a co-ordination between all the various EU foreign policy actors had been accomplished before. Spain, which held

13038-600: The support the European Union offers to the reform processes of its neighbours is EUBAM, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine , which assists the governments of Moldova and Ukraine in approximating their border and customs procedures to EU standards. The European Union's influential economic status and its nation-like characteristics has been acknowledged by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in their publication The World Factbook . The EU

13161-537: The task of articulating ambiguous policy positions created by disagreements among member states. The Common Foreign and Security Policy requires unanimity among the 27 member states on the appropriate policy to follow on any particular policy. Disagreements in CFSP, such as those that occurred over the war in Iraq, are not uncommon. The High Representative also coordinates the work of the European Union Special Representatives . With

13284-705: The tenets of the Minsk agreements , to the discussions within the Normandy Format and the Trilateral Contact Group , which respect the borders of Ukraine. With the development of the Israel-Hamas war , Borrell has been repeatedly critical of Israel actions, calling the country’s siege of Gaza illegal and dismissing its evacuation orders as unrealistic. As European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, he condemned

13407-473: The then 25 member states of the European Union . It was later ratified by 18 member states, which included referendums endorsing it in Spain and Luxembourg. However, the rejection of the document by French and Dutch voters in May and June 2005 brought the ratification process to an end. Following a period of reflection, the Treaty of Lisbon was created to replace the Constitutional Treaty. This contained many of

13530-462: The think-tank Open Europe for being inefficient, mis-targeted and linked to economic objectives. Some charities have claimed European governments have inflated the amount they have spent on aid by incorrectly including money spent on debt relief, foreign students, and refugees. Under the de-inflated figures, the EU did not reach its internal aid target in 2006 and the EU would not reach the international target of 0.7% of GNP until 2015. However, only

13653-409: The treaty requires a constitutional amendment, for all amendments have to be approved by referendum. As a reaction to what was seen as the novel nature of the Constitution, many advocates and opponents of the Constitution argued that it should be subjected to referendums across the European Union. On 20 April 2004, the then British prime minister Tony Blair unexpectedly announced an intention to hold

13776-433: The wider world the Union's objectives are: The EU has six exclusive competences , policy areas in which member states have agreed that they should act exclusively through the EU and not legislate at a national level. The list remains unchanged from the previous treaties: There are a number of shared competences . These are areas in which member states agree to act individually only where they have not already acted through

13899-411: Was "a lot of hot air" and that "she has an impossible job to do and she is doing it well. At the end of her time in office, people will be more positive about what she has done. She will leave a real legacy." However, Former European Commission adviser Dr Fraser Cameron argued that "the criticism one hears of Ashton is pretty strong and it will be difficult to overcome the bad press she has. It represents

14022-478: Was "no longer the diplomatic dilettante". A senior French diplomat was quoted as saying, "I tip my hat to her.... She truly played a decisive role". The report continued that, after initially insisting on negotiating only with other foreign ministers, by the latter stages of the negotiations the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "now... wanted to deal only with Lady Ashton". Said a western diplomat, "That

14145-475: Was also appointed Secretary-General of the Western European Union (WEU), overseeing the transfer of responsibilities from that organisation to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In 2004, his five-year mandate was renewed; he also became president of the European Defence Agency for the duration of his second term. The Clinton administration claimed in May 2000 that Solana was

14268-472: Was also created by the Treaty of Lisbon. It essentially is intended to be a common Foreign Office or Diplomatic Corps for the European Union. According to Article J.1 of title V of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union defines and implements a common foreign and security policy that covers all areas of foreign and security policy, the objectives of which are to: The European Council defines

14391-468: Was consolidated in the Maastricht Treaty , which entered into force in 1993 and established the European Union. While the previously existing supranational European Economic Community became one of three pillars , two more pillars were erected. The second CFSP-pillar was based on intergovernmentalism , which meant unanimity between members in the Council of Ministers and little influence by

14514-408: Was decided that the High Representative would no longer also be the Council's Secretary-General but would be a Vice-President of the European Commission , filling the now merged Commission post. The merger of the two posts has been seen as furthering the answer to Kissinger's question: The creation of a High Representative for foreign policy, or, better still, a Minister for foreign affairs would be

14637-569: Was done to avoid a domino effect that might proceed from demands for independence by Kosovo and Vojvodina . Local media sarcastically named the new country "Solania". On 21 January 2002, Solana said that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention . The EU has stated that it hopes to avoid another war like the Iraqi invasion through this and future negotiations, and Solana has said

14760-545: Was included in the Factbook in December 2004. The European Community humanitarian aid office , or "ECHO", provides humanitarian aid from the EU to developing countries. In 2006 its budget amounted to 671 million euro, 48% of which went to the ACP countries . Counting the EU's own contributions and those of its member states together, the EU is the largest aid donor in the world. The EU's aid has previously been criticised by

14883-426: Was levied at Ashton for failing to improve the EU's international profile during the crisis. Ashton responded thus: "There's been a recognition from the people of Haiti, the US, the UN and others of the extremely important role the EU has played. On the main issue, we should ask, have we tried to save lives, to support the people of Haiti? Yes we have." Criticism continued to mount, including complaints that she skipped

15006-506: Was reviewed for the Law Library of Congress in 2007. The European Union gives a definition of terrorism as Common Position 2001/931/CFSP of 27 December 2001, also referred to by successive acts. It highlights them as intentional acts which, given their nature or context as defined crimes under domestic law, may seriously harm a State or an international organization when committed for the purpose of: The list of terrorist organisations

15129-408: Was started in 2001 with the 13 organisations listed on 27 December of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP. The European Community had not listed Al-Qaeda although the 9/11 attacks had been the instigator of the list. It has been updated by a number of subsequent declarations, such as Common Position 2006/231/CFSP of 21 December 2005; for example so as to include LTTE . Common Position 2005/847/CFSP of

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