To be found in the show
The uproar in European diplomacy. An informal meeting of Foreign Ministers, from the start of the school year, intends to put the 27 in battle order on major international issues. But European diplomacy asks itself existential questions: what is it really for? Why does it seem so inaudible? The authority of Estonian Kaja Kallas – the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs – is contested. The Franco-German couple and other actors are calling for radical reform in the name of efficiency.
The European Union External Action Service (EEAS) was created in 2011 to deploy European ambassadors to all countries around the world. It was supposed to give Europe a voice, but it is caught between the Commission, where President Ursula von der Leyen wants to shine internationally, and the Council, made up of 27 heads of state jealous of their diplomatic prerogatives.
These recent months have further illustrated his difficulties in asserting himself on certain issues: if he was in charge of pushing through the sanctions packages against Russia, he is inaudible on Iran, the United States of Donald Trump or even the conflict between Israel and its neighbors. But is it really his fault or that of European leaders who compete with contradictory injunctions?
Program prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Florine Hausfater
