Europeans must be as united as possible so they can bear weight at the United Nations. This is the essence of the message given by the EU's ambassador to the UN, João Vale de Almeida.
"In order to assume our responsibilities, we need to show we are united. Unity is the absolute prerequisite for success, and division condemns us to weakness within the United Nations", he said during a hearing at the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee.
De Almeida said that from the time he took up office two years ago, he had seen Europeans make progress "in bilateral terms", especially as regards their influence. "Unity is an absolute condition for the EU to be able to have influence and occupy the space that others leave empty. In 2017, we were more united than in 2016 with one or two exceptions", he added, mentioning the examples of the issue of Jerusalem and migration. "When we are visibly divided, it has a huge impact on our credibility", he added.
De Almeida also warned against paralysis of the Security Council. "It is almost paralysed", he said, adding that he saw no consensus on fundamental issues. "American behaviour has developed a lot, which makes things sometimes difficult in terms of consensus between them and us", he said, speaking also about the situation of Russia and China. "I see a space and opportunities for the EU to seize. New responsibilities on the international scene can be opened up here or others can be withdrawn. Do we have the resolve to do this? For me, this is currently the real challenge", he said.
The ambassador also said it was important to ensure that the Europeans who work at the Security Council do so in a group and improve the position of the EU at the Council. In his opinion, continuing cooperation with the UK after Brexit "will be a subject of important discussion during the negotiations". "It is fitting to have a very close relationship", he said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)