The five current EU Member States of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) - Germany, Belgium, Poland, in addition to the two permanent members, France and the United Kingdom - and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, stressed on Monday 28 January the importance of their cooperation within the UN framework.
“We have a special responsibility [...] to coordinate positions to bring into the Security Council our European views on peace and security, but also our strong support to the UN system, to multilateralism, to conflict prevention, to peace-keeping, to democracy and human rights...", said Ms Mogherini, following a meeting of the EU Member States of the UNSC, organised by Belgium.
The High Representative stressed the need to coordinate European positions, recalling that, over the period of 2018-2020, five Member States had one seat on the UNSC, representing one third of the members of the Council. Seats used by Member States as a European seat, she said.
According to Ms Mogherini, Europeans are increasingly speaking with a single voice or in a coordinated way. The latest example is the speech by the British Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, on 26 January, on the EU's position on Venezuela, in the presence of all the EU Member States' permanent representatives on the Security Council.
The High Representative added that the unity of Member States had an impact on their ability to coordinate their position with other countries. "Cooperation must go beyond the EU and be regional if we want to have a majority", confirmed German diplomacy chief Heiko Mass.
All Member State representatives stressed the need for further cooperation. "We are trying to strengthen action in favour of multilateralism. If we can do it together, it's even better", summed up Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.
According to French Secretary of State Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Ms Mogherini would travel to New York in March under the French presidency of the UNSC to “explain the actions led by the EU". The ambassadors of the Member States of the Security Council are expected to visit Brussels in March.
In parallel, the EU representative to the UN, João Vale de Almeida, told the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee that cooperation had increased. "We are united, we vote the same way in 93/95% of cases. There has been convergence in recent years, we have our differences, but we are able to organise ourselves and have common positions", he explained. Mr Vale de Almeida pointed out that coordination took place not only between the five EU/UNSC members, but also with the newly elected European members, a total of eight Member States (the five, plus Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden). "They say close to the same thing with nuances, showing common positions. We count when we are united, less so when we are disunited", he added.
But Mr Vale de Almeida did not deny the disagreements over UN reform, in particular the organisation of the UNSC. "Member States are not on the same page regarding Security Council reform. There are different concepts and interests", he acknowledged. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)