Hello Cathy? “I'm on leave, please! " Me too…
These are the holidays. Under the snow in Brussels, as in London, Paris and many European capitals! This blog will therefore not be updated as regularly as usual. But it will remain on standby... And I will take the opportunity to post certain articles (which I haven't had time to review until now) and which are worth the detour.
In the meantime, I wish you all
Happy Christmas and end of year celebrations.
And no…
The question is burning on your lips. I know. -;) No, I'm not going on holiday with Cathy Ashton. Sorry, sorry to disappoint you! It must be said that the High Representative (HR) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union has already left... Since last Saturday! The HR is HS. Knocked out by a difficult year, spent in negotiations with everyone, the capitals that wanted to defend their protégés, a Foreign Office always quick to give "good" advice to a compatriot, a demanding European Parliament, the Commission and the Council secretariat, dug in their heels on their prerogatives and somewhat impertinent journalists (etc.), Lady Ashton has packed her bags and left for London, and has nothing planned for the next few days.
Next meeting on his calendar... January 6 and 7: the trip to Budapest for the traditional visit of the European Commission to the country which holds the rotating presidency (Hungary in the first half of 1). For the Ivory Coast or Sudan, the Middle East or Afghanistan, contact Washington or New York (UN), Paris or Berlin.
The voice of Europe is on vacation... Perhaps... But in the services, there will always be a few lights on: those of the watchkeepers and administrators on duty both at the Crisis Staff and on the civil protection side, humanitarian aid and diplomats. And the Secretary General of the Diplomatic Service should be in his office the day after Christmas. True to his reputation as a workaholic…