In her written answers to MEPs’ questions, published on Wednesday 23 October, Kaja Kallas, the nominee for EU High Representative, promised that she would strive to devise “a more strategic, assertive and united foreign and security policy, fit to address the challenges of today’s world and to promote the EU’s values and interests”.
Ms Kallas intends to strengthen the EU’s security and defence while promoting a more strategic approach to our neighbourhood and partnerships and fostering a “modern and joined-up” foreign policy. In her words, “our priorities over the next five years – based on the Political Guidelines –will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades”.
The High Representative-designate’s short-term priorities are Russia’s war against Ukraine and strengthening the EU’s security and defence.
“How we respond to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine tells the world who we are and the values we stand for”, says Ms Kallas. It is by supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary that “the EU can be truly credible on the global stage with a more strategic, assertive, united and human-rights centred CFSP [Common Foreign and Security Policy]”.
By the end of her mandate, Ms Kallas wants the EU to have strengthened its long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships around the world, including with the United States, which “will remain the EU’s most consequential partner and ally”.
Her priority in the dialogue with China “will be to safeguard the EU’s geopolitical and economic security”. “The most pressing challenges here are China’s support for Russia as well as structural imbalances between the EU and China”, she adds.
Warning that the EU’s security and defence are under threat, Ms Kallas explained that “urgent” action is needed. The ‘White Paper’ on the future of European defence will help to identify the investment needed. In her view, it is necessary to strengthen the link between EU-level defence industrial policy and national priorities for acquiring and developing capabilities, and to continue to ensure interoperability and coherence with NATO, with which the partnership must be deepened.
The High Representative-designate emphasises preparedness as “a fundamental part of effective security and defence”.
Ms Kallas also believes that a new analysis of the threats is “urgently” needed, and says she is ready to consider new concrete ways to increase the level of ambition in the field of security and defence.
More generally, the High Representative-designate intends to prioritise the development of strong strategic communication and to organise regular dialogues with young people to listen to their needs and concerns, with “the first dialogue taking place within the first 100 days of my mandate”, she says.
See the answers: https://aeur.eu/f/dzu (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)