Cathy Ashton, present at the informal defense, … remotely

(BRUSSELS2) No! You won't see this close-up photo at the end of September at the Informelle Défense in late September.

One could think of a bis repetita. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) will not attend the informal meeting of EU Defense Ministers which is taking place on 23 and 24 September in Ghent (Belgium). "Logistic reasons", she justifies herself in advance in a letter sent (in English) to all EU Defense Ministers. "I regret not being able to join you".

Video conferencing to the aid of the High Representative

At the same time, the UN General Assembly is taking place in New York, a perfect opportunity for an EU chief diplomat to establish contacts or speak with many countries. This meeting was scheduled in advance. And hard to ignore. At European level, no one wants to assume this "blunder" whose responsibility cannot be attributed to Cathy Ashton.

The decisions "were already taken before his arrival", thus specified to me several interlocutors. And the Belgians were "warned very quickly of this impossibility of schedule for a High Representative". An alternative has been studied, in terms of dates. But it is impossible to go back. The mechanics of a presidency is too cumbersome to be able to move a council of ministers, even informal, with the stroke of a pen.

However Cathy Ashton wanted not to repeat the blunder of Palma de Mallorca (1). And she should ensure her presence at the evening meeting of the 23rd, by way of... "video-conference". Miracle of the technique which makes it possible to duplicate a high-representative... but which does not prevent a certain distance

Recommendations to Ministers

Taking advantage of this letter of apology, the High Representative gave the Ministers her opinion on the impetus to be given to the Common European Security and Defense Policy. Finally... impulse if you will. Because the tone is given from the first words.

This meeting is taking placeat a time when the economic crisis is placing enormous pressure on public finances across Europe and, in many cases, major cuts in defense budgets are inevitable" she wrote. "We need to demonstrate the benefits of CSDP, both in terms of operational effectiveness but also in terms of strengthening our interaction with our partner organizations (UN, NATO, OSCE and African Union) - as well as strengthening cooperation in capacity development."

A tone that is not very optimistic and translates well the feeling that we perceived in certain circles that for the High Representative, the Europe of defense is well conceived from a distance, is analyzed today on a rather defensive position than offensive, in a question of positioning on costs than in a demonstration of power.

It is necessary to "demonstrate the added value of CSDP"

The rest of the letter does not inspire optimism, even if the HR paints a positive picture of the European Union which has "proved its credibility" in military matters, as civil-military. Even if it recommends to the Ministers "(have) a shared interest in taking a fresh look at how best to face common challenges together and what new ideas we should pursue", nothing very precise, nor very new is proposed. If it mentions the "growing and important role for the EU to play in crisis response and management", evoking "possible steps" future at "Middle East or elsewhere", we remain with this generality which makes it possible to mask an absence of obvious voluntarism, denounced elsewhere, very mezzo vocce, by several Member State delegations including France (2).

The letter also ends with this warning which now seems to serve as a political maxim for the High Representative in matters of Defense Europe. "To carry this ambition on solid foundations, our guideline in the coming months should be to demonstrate the added value and the quality / price ratio.".

In doing so, the High Representative gives some weapons to her detractors who note a notable absence of proposals and power of impetus, both in operational and political matters. What accredit the opinion, more and more shared that not only "There's nothing left in the pipes"- as several concordant testimonies have told me - but also that there is no desire to feed the European machine.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Read also:
(1)  Ashton not there in Mallorca: regret, indifference, bitterness…
et Ashton's absence from Palma makes people cringe… (updated)
(2) New exchange of letters between Cathy and this "dear Bernard"