B2 The Daily of Geopolitical Europe. News. Files. Reflections. Reports

News BlogEU diplomacy

No soft power without hard power. Will the policy of the European checkbook come to an end?

(B2) In the usual debate between proponents of Hard and those of soft-power, the former German Defense Minister, Ursula von Der Leyen, who became President of the European Commission, has apparently decided. To have Soft you have to have Hard. The nice Europe that was content to resolve crises by aligning its checkbook must change its software

Ursula von der Leyen in Davos (credit: European Commission)

Development aid vs European Defense Union

Development aid is not enough. Europe is certainly le largest development cooperation donor ". But that is no longer enough to solve the world's problems, Ursula Von der Leyen said at the Davos Economic Forum on Wednesday (January 22). " We must also do more to manage crises as they develop ". Europe has, for that ", need “credible military capabilities ". A construction that is in progress. We have set up " constituent elements of the European Defense Union ».

The European way: hard power + diplomacy + conflict prevention

There exists a " european way in foreign and security policy where hard power is an important tool — but it is never the only one. Hard power comes always "in the minds of Europeans" with diplomacy and conflict prevention; with the work of reconciliation and reconstruction ". One thing that " Europeans know well because we have been there, here, in Europe ». (1)

(NGV)

Download the discourse in full (English only)

  1. We are the largest donor for development cooperation – in fact, we invest in this more than the rest of the world combined. But we must also do more when it comes to managing crises as they develop. For that, Europe also needs credible military capabilities and we have set up the building blocks of the European Defense Union. There is a European way to foreign and security policy where hard power is an important tool – but is never the only one. Hard power always comes with diplomacy and conflict prevention; with the work on reconciliation and reconstruction, which is something Europeans know well, because we have gone through this, here in Europe.

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).

s2Member®