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Blog AnalysisEEAS High Representative

Two years with Cathy… Only three years left!

(BRUXELLES2, 2011 report) Three years... I know, it's a long time! But tell yourself that we have already managed to last two years. Two years, in the company of Baroness Catherine Ashton, whose lack of initiative is not necessarily synonymous with efficiency. Two years, where the place of the Baroness at the Council table often has more importance than strategic considerations on the place of Europe. Two years, who have not demonstrated an unwavering passion for work, either; which does not prevent contempt, nor the stamping or the soaps passed to collaborators. Two years, where one can wonder where the projects and actions accomplished in the previous ten years by his predecessors have gone. And where one could even be led to have doubts: Was the Lisbon Treaty project - resulting from a slow maturation that began in the 1990s with the Maastricht Treaty - really relevant?

The EEAS: a tiger in an underutilized engine

The day has not yet come to draw the final balance sheet. But two years is enough time to make an initial assessment. And we cannot say that the passage of the British to the post of High Representative is a resounding success. On the contrary. When I question one or the other, there are few people to give a positive example. The European diplomatic machine works today. Cahin-caha, of course. The structure of the European diplomatic service can be criticized with its hierarchical stacking and its board organization which does not yet show full efficiency (see separate article). But the EEAS exists. And if it works, it is much more often thanks to the good will and the know-how of a few, of dedicated civil servants, conscientious diplomats, experienced heads of unit than of a shimmering, far-sighted and strategic. Having met several of them, as well as heads of delegation, over the past two years, we are struck by their talent (yes, there is no other word for it :-)). There, in the bowels of the European diplomatic service, there is a whole force and skill that is just waiting to be expressed. Unfortunately, we have the impression that the High Representative is content to make the engine slip in first gear, and struggles to pass second... She does not " trust enough except those who are close to them “, specifies a keen observer of his career. " It is the reflection of an apathetic system, weak and without means sums up, precisely, an ambassador of a Member State.

The complex of the "besieged citadel"

Catherine Ashton's relationship with the media is limited. His appearances in the (Council) press room or in the VIP Corner are limited to the strict minimum. And, quite often, the number of questions is also limited. Timing problem, explain its spokespersons. ... Or " to avoid leaving too much room for possible blunders add some experts. There is thus very little "off" meeting, free discussion, the time for a walk in a corridor, or even 2 minutes apart. British correspondents in Brussels are no better off. On the contrary : "in two years, not a single interview in a British daily newspaper, nor a single briefing or face-to-face interview with a correspondent in Brussels"says one of my colleagues. Which is the opposite of custom. A commissioner or a European politician often "pampers" his national press. The experience of collective interviews - only one to my knowledge or - dinners - only two - with a few reporters was stopped. It's not for lack of effort by Catherine Ashton's spokespersons. But, apparently, she doesn't want that."She is openly hostile to it." reports this British colleague. Only the BBC rarely and Euronews (the voice of his master) often have the pleasure of welcoming him. The complex of the "besieged citadel" dominates. The journalist is moreover perceived as an enemy element from which you have to be on your guard. Certain articles that are too critical are moreover hidden away so as not to risk displeasing. The press is not kept informed and even carefully kept away from certain initiatives, however positive, such as this meeting of the ambassadors of the EU or the meeting of the various spokespersons for the defense missions, at the beginning of December.The result, we have an invisible High Representative, autistic, of whom we don't really know what she thinks... or if she thinks.

"Public diplomacy" at half mast

This is not a point of detail. One of the major ways of diplomacy is its public expression. And the media, particularly journalists based in Brussels, are one of the possible relays of this diplomacy. More generally, the position of "public diplomacy", although one of the vectors of "soft power", remains at the draft stage. Even today, no one has really been appointed to occupy the position of Public Diplomacy, although it was provided for in the original organization chart sent to the European Parliament in July 2010. The The very word has disappeared from the last organizational chart. Only a post of adviser "strategic communication" remains reduced to a minimum, since it is in fact occupied by the spokesperson in title Michael Mann. By depriving itself of this cog, the Baroness deprives itself , knowingly, of one of his possible "tools" of power.

The "bazaar" of the Baroness

In the inventory and assessment of the new structure put in place by the Treaty of Lisbon, we must point the finger at a subject that has been discreetly ignored. Namely, the cabinet of the baroness. A happy bazaar, if I believe all the echoes that have been reported to me for more than two years. With a share of political intuition, sometimes judicious, but also a dark pile of files which require the agreement of the High Representative and drag on and on. Examples of press releases that remain in draft form or of decisions that need to be reworked - because between the time they were written and their approval the situation has changed - are not uncommon. Lady Ashton thus practices centralism at its worst, slowing down and lack of efficiency, even opacity. " His ability to take an interest in a file is often proportional to the person who was able to introduce him, explains a diplomat, and not to the importance or the urgency of a file. There are thus very followed files such as the United States, Sudan or China. Others neglected like the Sahel until very recently.

Fog on certain activities

Most of the meetings held by the High Representative, or a member of her cabinet, are not the subject of a "debriefing", or of a note to the services, or to the heads of delegation concerned. Contrary to a practice acquired in many ministries of Foreign Affairs and also within the European Commission. This means that most heads of unit, from file managers to the highest officials are sometimes not informed, ... except by their foreign interlocutors (!), of their own initiatives or information communicated to their Head or by her. Heads of delegation are not always invited to meetings held by the High Representative during her travels abroad. This is received not only as a mark of mistrust but also diminishes, in the eyes of interlocutors from third countries, the quality of the EU representative in the country. It's a "lose-lose".

Some taboos

In fact, and this is starting to become less and less of a secret, the current holder of the post does not have the working power of her predecessor, Javier Solana or even of some of her collaborators. His "shopping" or tourism passages which filter during his travels - in the United States, in Egypt - and even in Brussels, on the day when important meetings take place, reveal a weak appetite for his function and are not of the best taste.

Continuing to live straddling two capitals — London, where her family has remained based, and Brussels, her place of work where she has rented a 'transitory' apartment (in a building near Square Ambiorix) — does not facilitate not the task and the mobilization of the troops. Moreover, this is not entirely in line with the rules in force in the institutions (it is thus required of European civil servants that they reside close to their place of work). This also explains some delays... in ignition. (*)

Finally, the monolingualism of the person concerned persists. She certainly manages to stammer out three or four sentences in French - like "thank you very much for your question, I'll answer you in English" - with a delicious accent (it's true). But that's all. For the head of one of the first diplomats in the world, it's a bit light... and that limits direct relations with other senior leaders.

The wait-and-see attitude erected under

Ashton's key word today is not: go for it. But "add value", "benchmarking", "impact studies", "evaluations"... One of Lady Ashton's predecessors, Neil Kinnock, had been at the maneuver for the reform of the European administration. Principles - more or less identical - of grading, evaluation, etc., were then introduced - obliging managers to manage a series of additional administrative tasks, in the name of efficient resource management and some financial rationalization. Multiple procedures, often cumbersome, have been put in place. We know the result: the European machine has been seriously slowed down.

Step-by-step initiatives

The High Representative has likewise established the principle of prudence as a dogma. THE "fewer initiatives possible, the later the better, and by communicating the least", has become the rule. The European Union thus often seems to be towed by the United States or national initiatives, whereas it is sometimes the Union that could drive the movement forward. European defense and security policy is the par excellence field of maneuvers for this lack of initiatives: failed operation in Libya, wait-and-see attitude in Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, Congo, slow implementation of the maritime capacity building operation in the Horn of Africa, etc. And let's not talk about the defense and security policy. It was only under pressure from several Member States and certain EEAS or European officials (cf. Barroso in particular) that progress was made possible on the center of operations. A commitment so weak that one diplomat summed it up as follows: find someone less committed than Cathy, it will be hard ».

A good punching boal

However, blaming the current High Representative for all the problems would be wrong. One cannot thus deny the Baroness her tenacity, a certain political good sense which sometimes leads her to avoid embarking on too abstruse discussions. It also faces volatile Member States. The position of France or Germany and Italy are not always extremely clear: the head of government does not always have the same opinion as his Minister of Foreign Affairs and the latter is not always he agreement with his Defense counterpart... The other European institutions - such as the European Commission or the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy as well as the European Parliament - do not always facilitate the task; the first by defending their competences "stubbornly", the last by demanding various advances, sometimes unachievable without a substantial increase in the budget or a drastic revision of the EU's operating system.

Tomorrow, it is not likely to work out. As British Commissioner, Catherine Ashton will have to be more present at the Commission to defend and represent the United Kingdom's interests there, on sensitive issues such as rating agencies, financial services or the budgetary framework for the next 7 years (financial outlook 2008-2014). This means that the High Representative will have even less time available for foreign and security policy.

Build everything from a few lines

To install her new function, the High Representative only has at her disposal a few lines, all in all quite lapidary, in the Treaty. Nothing has really been planned in practice to develop this new institution. As Catherine Ashton often explains, we take off the plane while it is not finished, and that the mechanics are still busy putting in place the last parts, or the landing gear ». She is not wrong... No intensive preparation, no transition period (as for the establishment of the Euro), no gradual rise in power (as for the European Central Bank resulting from the European Monetary Institute) have not been spared. The EEAS and the new High Representative have been asked to be operational immediately. And, to be honest, we must ask ourselves whether we should not think quickly about an adaptation, if not in law at least in practice, of the structure put in place (read separate article).

Come on... three years is a straw... Be patient, don't expect too much, take the opportunity to see the country. And don't dwell on it endlessly: if it had been X or Y, you're hurting yourself unnecessarily... Repeat after me: Long live the Baroness! 🙂

Also read: This article is part of a series of articles "summary of the year" to come in the next few days, on the EEAS, the Treaty, defense spending....

(*) A small example of the mess this entails. While the fall of Mubarak is accelerating, on February 11, 2011, the person concerned has already left Brussels (or has not returned, rather spinning directly to London after a trip to Washington). She seems to have difficulty perceiving the intensity of the acceleration of history. And it takes all the conviction of a few to convince her to come back. She must therefore be caught in extremis, to be brought directly to the Commission, to the VIP Corner, where she holds a brief press briefing on Friday at 18:50 p.m., out of all proportion to the event. Until the last moment, his staff did not know if the High Representative would be there in time, and were only able to warn the press at 17 p.m. At that time, a number of European officials (notably in the European Parliament) had already commented on the fall of Mubarak.

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

2 thoughts on “Two years with Cathy… Only three years left!"

  • Leonhardt

    François Mitterrand wrote in his memoirs that President George Bush told him that America was against the Europe of Brussels, and above all against “European defense in the WEU” (sic), which says it all, as well that Richard Burt said that “the greatest threat to the United States was 'European defence', hence the dismantling, twice, of the 'European pillar' of the Atlantic Alliance, which was desired by John Fitzgerald Kennedy , again in 1962, the EDC in 1952, and the WEU, in 2000/2010! k.l.

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