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Blog AnalysisEEAS High Representative

Redacting the bios, a specialty that is not only… Cuban

(BRUXELLES2) I had already noticed it once or twice. Certain aspects of the bios - summaries, distributed to the press of the people appointed to the European diplomatic service were mentioned, others forgotten. The appointment of six new EU Heads of Delegation is a striking illustration of this (details on Club). We thus learn that Alberto Navarro has been appointed head of the EU delegation to the Dominican Republic.

One can have the impression that he did nothing fundamental, neither between these functions; nor after. It is a mistake. A. Navarro was not just the director of ECHO, the European humanitarian aid office, and the head of the European Commission delegation in Brazil. He was in one of the highest positions at the High Representative and Minister.

The forgetting of a key period of European foreign policy

After his post at ECHO, A. Navarro was thus the chief of staff of the first High Representative of the EU for foreign and security policy, Javier Solana. As such, he really suffered the plasters. And it is under his aegis (and his impetus) that the “policy unit” was notably created, which then developed and constituted one of the embryos of the future European diplomatic service (EEAS). It was also at this time that the agreement of Berlin More which will allow the EU to launch its first military missions in Macedonia / FYROM first (operation Concordia) then in Bosnia-Herzegovina (operation EUFOR Althea) benefiting from the support of NATO structures. An important agreement. After his post in Brazil, Alberto Navarro was also Secretary of State for European Affairs under Prime Minister Zapatero, for 4 good years. All this is nothing!

We will probably put this down to the forgetting of a sentence that jumped out! (*) I simply find it hard to believe in the innocence of the process that I have already seen on other occasions. Especially since this way of rewriting history worthy of the best Cuban books is also reflected when we listen to Lady Ashton, who is, according to her, the first High Representative and built everything from scratch. The poor! 🙂 Even the official hagiography of the High Representative reflects this term...

It's not really wrong either. C. Ashton is effectively the first to hold the dual post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission created by the Treaty of Lisbon. But that's still not entirely accurate... It would be more elegant (and accurate) to say that she succeeds to the post of High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy / Secretary General of the Council of the EU created by the Treaty of Amsterdam...

(*) When B2 asked for the full bios, we never received them! That certainly explains that. Luckily, we have some archives...

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).

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