Strasbourg, 14/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 14 January, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini talked to MEPs about the main aspects and fundamental choices of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the common security and defence policy (CSDP). “We often have the image of a Europe that is a small, limited and weak continent (…) We have to realise our power. We are strong because we are humble. We insist on mediation. We must be a big power for peace and for human rights”, Mogherini stated. “Whatever the country or region in the world, we must increase our presence and our role as an actor for peace”, she added.
Mogherini thus recalled the importance of being “truly united, hand in hand - without competition”. Stating that there was no real border between what happens in the EU and outside, she said she wanted greater coordination of the work within the European Commission and Council on issues of foreign policy and defence, of the fight against terrorism, of justice, of the climate, of trade or of culture. Speaking about culture, Mogherini said she thought the EU should set up a few cultural instruments. “We often have a way of thinking that goes back to the last century (…), an old-fashioned way of thinking about the rest of the world, an old-fashioned vision of the EU that is projected to the rest of the world”, she said.
MEPs divided. MEPs were divided as regards foreign policy. Elmar Brok (EPP, Germany) and Richard Howitt (S&D, UK) said that a distinction should not be made between internal and external policy, and an integrated response was needed. “It is important to act on the level of values, of democracy, and of the rule of law”, stated Brok, also saying that the link must be seen between security and the economy - “it's with this that we have a role to play with external policy”, he said. In the view of Tamas Meszerics (Greens/EFA, Hungary), “no member state is able to act alone. We need a coordinated strategy. It is only through coordination of the CSDP that we can respond”. Geoffrey Van Orden (ECR, UK) called on the EU to act only when it has added value. “You can continue as before, with more tasks, with more visibility, or you limit yourself to a few essential tasks where the EU would be effective, rather than being at odds with the member states (…) I hope you will change direction and focus on a few areas where the EU has added value”, he told Mogherini. In the view of Eleftherios Synadinos (NI, Greece), the EU is following NATO's policy although the interests are not the same. (CG)