In a report published on Monday 15 July entitled ‘Adapt to a tougher world: Memo to the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy’, the Bruegel think tank argued that the European Council should give the High Representative “a stronger mandate to act on matters on which member states have decided to take common actions” in order to adapt his or her role “to a world dominated by intimidation and brute force”.
According to the Bruegel report, this mandate would require stronger legal and financial capabilities “to coordinate relevant policies” in the European institutions. The High Representative would therefore be “first among equals”, be they foreign ministers or commissioners with portfolios that touch on EU external relations.
The think tank also puts forward another option: accepting that the High Representative’s authority will be more limited than provided for in the Lisbon Treaty, but clarifying the functions he or she will retain. “The aim would be to establish a clear division of labour between yourself and other commissioners whose portfolios have an external dimension [...] this would imply forsaking responsibility for trade policy, development, enlargement and neighbourhood, and even defence procurement”, says Bruegel. The High Representative would continue to coordinate common positions on foreign and security matters, represent the EU’s common positions externally and the diplomatic network of EU delegations through the European External Action Service, and propose and announce economic sanctions once decisions have been taken by member states.
While Bruegel considers the first model “preferable”, it points out that most important is that the EU makes a choice and breaks the bad habit of nominally assigning powers to the High Representative while depriving him or her of the ability to exercise them in practice.
The report also looks at the main challenges facing the EU, including reconciling a strong transatlantic alliance with EU autonomy, managing threats from China while maintaining a constructive relationship, and building stronger relations with the countries of the South.
Bruegel believes that the High Representative should work on options for the EU’s response to the US becoming a more unpredictable and unreliable partner, work to bring Member States together around a common vision for relations with the US, and play a crucial role in reshaping EU strategy towards China as rivalry intensifies and Beijing continues to support Russia.
In addition, relations with India could be a highlight of the mandate, according to Bruegel, which adds that a more sophisticated approach will be needed on raw materials and migration, issues on which some EU countries would like to have primarily transactional relationships.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/d1s (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)