In his state of the Union speech on Wednesday 14 September, the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, called for a stronger role for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, citing her crucial role in the talks on settlement of the Syrian crisis.
To rapturous applause from MEPs, Juncker said Mogherini was doing a remarkable job and should become a genuine foreign minister, as she combines the forces of national diplomats in order to have weight in international negotiations. He regretted that the Syrian conflict had direct consequences for Europe but Europeans were not present at the negotiating table. Where is the Union? Where are the member states in the talks on settling the crisis?, he asked. Juncker therefore called for the development of a European strategy for Syria. He said Mogherini should have a seat on the negotiating table on the future of Syria. While a number of member states and Mogherini herself attend meetings of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), its co-presidents are the United States and Russia.
Bar his remarks on Syria, Cyprus and a Europe of Defence (see other articles), Juncker did not talk about foreign affairs. Not a word about the Neighbourhood Policy countries, such as Ukraine, or about Libya, two countries he mentioned in his state of the Union address in 2015.
The heads of the political groups were equally laconic on these subjects. Only French EPP member Alain Lamassoure, speaking personally, criticised the EU’s foreign policy, pointing out for example that the Minsk agreements had been negotiated by two member states rather than the EU. Lamassoure regretted that a quarter of a century after the end of the Cold War, the EU was still unable to speak with Moscow with one voice. He also expressed concern that, the way he sees it, the EU is not involved in the work to rebuild Libya, but remains off the coast with the Sophia naval operation, which condemns it to put up with decisions taken by others.
Juncker did not mention enlargement either, only talking in his answers to MEPs about the question of visas for Turks. There was not a word about Turkey’s status as an EU accession country which a number of MEPs, including the EPP chair, Manfred Weber (Germany) brought up in their interventions. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)