Aquí Europa/The Diplomat
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, advocated on Wednesday for advancing the use of mechanisms provided for in European treaties to improve the bloc’s capacity to act, after eleven member states, including Spain, called for a review of the foreign policy decision-making system and an exploration of greater use of qualified majority voting.
The foreign ministers of the European Union discussed on Wednesday, in an informal meeting held in Ireland, the capacity to act of the EU’s foreign policy and possible ways to improve its functioning, in a context marked by the proposal from eleven member states to move towards greater use of qualified majority voting in certain foreign policy decisions.
Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden sent a letter to Kallas proposing a review of some decision-making mechanisms to avoid deadlocks and strengthen the bloc’s capacity to act on the international stage.
The eleven governments believe that, while consensus remains a central element of European legitimacy, it is essential to prevent a lack of agreement among all member states from limiting the Union’s responsiveness.
In statements to the press before the meeting in Ireland, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares warned that Spain wishes to participate in the “reflection on the European foreign service” because “we need a strong European voice in foreign affairs as well.” Therefore, he cautioned, “this is the right time to think about decision-making and to consider, as Spain and others believe, whether we can move forward with a qualified majority.”
After the meeting, Kallas explained that the ministers analyzed “whether our foreign policy machinery is adequate for the current world.” According to the High Representative, the ministers held “a fruitful debate on the strengths and weaknesses of EU foreign policy, its shortcomings, and the areas where our structures and working methods prevent us from exerting the influence that Europe should have.”
Kallas emphasized that “Europe does have influence.” Trade, development aid, visas, enlargement, energy, and sanctions give us negotiating power, which we are not always able to leverage. “We have numerous instruments of power. We need to start using them more consistently,” she added.
In this regard, she noted that during the meeting there was “broad support for the current institutional structure,” although member states agreed on the need to improve its implementation. “It was clear that member states want to continue to guide European foreign policy,” she indicated.
Kallas advocated for greater use of the tools already provided for in the European treaties. “We should consider more seriously constructive abstention and other tools offered by the treaties,” she stated. Constructive abstention allows a member state to abstain from supporting a particular decision without preventing the others from moving forward.
The letter from the eleven countries also proposes strengthening sincere cooperation and mutual solidarity, expanding the use of constructive abstentions instead of vetoes, preventing extraneous issues from influencing foreign policy decisions, and requiring “vital, well-founded reasons” when a state intends to block an initiative.
Asked about the possible reform of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Kallas framed the debate within the need to improve the overall effectiveness of European foreign policy. “The broader issue is the effectiveness of EU foreign policy, and the first question we must answer and address is how we work,” she explained. “Because it’s not just about the institutions, but about the fact that we are not reaching agreements with the Member States—in other words, about our working methods.”
The High Representative insisted that “the treaties offer us possibilities, and we should start using them.” “Constructive abstention—that is, not vetoing, but allowing others to act if we disagree. There are other options, other tools. That is the main resource,” she noted.
Regarding the functioning of the EEAS, Kallas pointed out that one of the problems is the duplication of functions among European institutions. “From the outset, the treaties stipulated the obligations of everyone, but subsequently, a great deal of duplication has occurred, and this duplication persists,” she explained.
Kallas advocated for better coordination between the EEAS and the European Commission, especially in areas with an external dimension such as trade, development cooperation, enlargement, migration, and visas. “If we want to act as a geopolitical actor, we really should coordinate these things,” she stated.
Albares’ bilateral meetings
On the sidelines of the Gymnich, Albares held bilateral meetings with his Maltese counterpart, Chris Fearne, whom he congratulated on his recent appointment and with whom he pledged to work “on the EU’s southern border and in the Mediterranean to address European and global challenges”; with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, to whom he advocated “the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure and the building of a just and lasting peace for the Ukrainian people”; and with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, to whom he pledged to consolidate the “historic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, already approved by the Congress.”
