Debate: The functioning of the EEAS and a stronger EU in the world
Date: MONDAY, 13 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Frans Timmermans
Language: EN

I would like to thank him and all those who contributed to this report on the functioning of the European External Action Service and for a stronger Europe in the world. In 2019, at the beginning of this legislature, we set out to build a stronger Europe in the world – a geopolitical Europe capable of speaking the language of power. Since then, the strategic environment of the European Union has radically changed. Today we are living in a world of multiple crises. I think it was Jean-Claude Juncker who coined the expression ‘polycrisis’, and this is exactly where we are today. It brings with it a lot of uncertainty to systems, but also to individual citizens. The brutal war of aggression Russia is waging against Ukraine has led to a geopolitical realignment. We are faced with the weaponisation of interdependencies, whether it’s on energy or raw materials, medical and pharmaceutical products, migration or technologies. The consequences of the climate crisis are becoming ever more apparent, and the international order is being challenged and is being reshaped as we speak. At the same time, competition between the US and China is becoming the main structuring force of the global order. This new environment is not a return to the bipolar world of the Cold War. I would say, rather, that it’s a messy multi-polarity in which partners around the world, such as Turkey, India, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico and Indonesia, may lean one way or the other, depending on the issue and based on their interests. As the European Union, we have to be proactive. When designing our policies, we need to factor in how others will perceive them and how they will affect them. This matters, as our ambition is to continue setting global standards. To meet these historical challenges – as your report actually points out – we need a strong external action policy that is capable of defending our values and our democracies with a united and strong voice, and supported by a state-of-the-art European diplomatic service. As the EU’s diplomatic service, the role of the EEAS is to support the High Representative in steering the Union in the tasks assigned by the Treaty, and to steer and ensure a coordinated and coherent EU external action and policies, including on the external dimension of the EU’s internal policies. This is fundamental to guarantee the EU’s role as a reliable and responsible actor on the world stage. We therefore welcome the support of Parliament in ensuring that the EEAS is guaranteed the necessary space and resources to be fit for purpose. As your report testifies, the EU’s working methods and our decision-making processes in foreign policy are often very complex. We therefore need to continue doing our utmost to facilitate swift decisions to respond to global challenges, uniting all 27 Member States, so that we can speak on the global stage with one strong voice. Our message needs to be amplified across the world with all our European diplomatic tools, the delegations, the embassies of the Member States, and there is also a very important role for your own parliamentary diplomacy. An important tool that you also mention in your report to improve our capacity to respond to crises worldwide is a new crisis response centre under the authority of the EEAS. The crises of the past, whether in Afghanistan or the Sahel, have shown the need for a centre that brings together the 24/7 Situation Room, diplomatic security, consular affairs and crisis management capabilities. Here, once again, we welcome your support for this important initiative. Finally, let me welcome your support for the establishment of a European Diplomatic Academy. This will be a key tool to create an esprit de corps and a common European diplomatic culture. In the last three years, we filled our geopolitical Europe with substantial operational content. We must sustain our strategic unity and build on the robust response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. This moment of geostrategic awakening must be translated into a more lasting increase of the EU’s influence in the world, including through strengthening the EU’s security and defence capabilities – a must in a world increasingly defined by strategic competition. We know that we have the support of this House and that of European citizens, as the last Eurobarometer shows. Defending European values, such as freedom and democracy, and the interests of the EU with a single strong voice is our priority, and we could not do it without the strong support of this House. Thank you, and I look forward to the debate.