The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has taken advantage of the first two months of his term, to make clear its intention to lead the international agenda of the EU. The new impetus, as expressed last week with a tour of the hot spots of the european neighborhood, leaves you in a delicate situation to Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Policy, a charge theoretically designed to unify the activity of the european diplomacy. The departments of Michel and Borrell ensure work in a coordinated manner. But the dispute over the relevance on the international scene is evident.
this time, this struggle seems to opt on the side of the president of the European Council. “In Brussels there are only two phones that can call leaders from outside of the EU: the Michel and the president of the European Commission, and Ursula von der Leyen”, indicate sources of the European Council, referring to the historic complaint of Kissinger in his time as secretary of State of USA never knew who to contact in Europe to address a global crisis.
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The current position of Borrell was created in 2009 precisely to give a response, among other things, to the demand of Kissinger. During the last 10 years, Brussels has been willing, in theory, of a telephone that Washington or other capitals they could call when they needed to know the position of the EU.
But the relay in the dome community at the end of last year has disrupted that design. Both Von der Leyen as Michel trying to relegate to the High Representative to a subordinate role with a significant reduction of prominence and leadership.
And the imminent departure of the Uk from the EU (scheduled for the next day 31) has been to Berlin and Paris to promote an entente with London to maintain a lead over the european policy of security and international relations on the sidelines of the provisions in the community framework.
The combination of both factors may weaken the figure of the High Representative, a position whose previous occupants (Catherine Ashton, from 2009 to 2014, and Federica Mogherini, until 2019) had already proven the difficulty of directing a diplomacy community that, in good measure, is exercised from the capital.
Sources close to Michel denied any conflict of jurisdiction with Borrell. “The two speak on a daily basis and coordinate their positions,” said these sources. But also added that “from a few years ago, the foreign policy of the EU has gone on to be assumed by the first ministers, and it is logical that in that context the president of the Council to assume its responsibility.”
The team of Michel want to explode a scheme in which Borrell serve as an equivalent to a national minister of Foreign and that they only relate with their counterparts of that range. The appointments of the highest level will always be reserved, according to the model, for Michel, or in his default, to Von der Leyen.
The president of the Commission seems to be comfortable with that formula. And in just eight weeks of term has already demonstrated that reserves the major international events, but that will leave the international policy largely in the hands of the States, whose visible head in Brussels is Michel.
“The European Union is composed of States and is in the Council where the member States have to decide on issues such as missions [abroad]”, turned a blind eye to Von der Leyen on Friday in Zagreb to be questioned by the future of Sophia, the great military operation launched by the EU in the Mediterranean to combat irregular migration.
The Operation Sophia is extended until march of this year, but it remained unused and without effective after the arrival of Matteo Salvini, the Ministry of the Interior of Italy. Mogherini, endeavored to keep it, even if testimonial, to be able to reactivate it later.
Von der Leyen has focused the priorities of his mandate (until 2024) in areas such as the environmental agenda (with the so-called Compact Green) and or the digital market. In the organizational structure of Juncker, the High Representative and Vice-president of the Commission was a pre-eminent, below only of the first vice-president. The new president of the Commission has appointed three executive vice presidents who are above the vice-president of Foreign.
in Front of this apparent lack of interest in Von der Leyen by the foreign agenda, Michel has shown a hyperactivity international in recent weeks, especially following the assassination of the general iranian Qasem Soleimani by the US and the escalation of the civil war in Libya.
“the EU’s priorities for the coming months are the Covenant Green, the digital agenda and the negotiation of the new estimates, but we cannot lower the guard on the outside and find ourselves in a crisis outside that cause an internal political crisis, as happened with Syria”, justify sources close to Michel the active international agenda of the president of the Council.
Michel was the first community leader to react after the death of Soleimani to ask for a brake to the escalation of tension. And last week he traveled to Istanbul and Cairo to try to defuse the crisis libya in separate meetings with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the egyptian, Abdelfatá al-Sisi.
“the president of The Council intends to comply fully with the mandate granted by the Treaty of the EU”, listed in your computer. Article 15 of that Treaty confers upon “the external representation of the Union on issues of foreign policy and common security, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative”. Previous presidents, Herman van Rompuy and Donald Tusk, devoted less time to this chapter (maybe because of the serious internal crises that they faced), which left more space to Ashton or Mogherini.
In the case of Borrell, it seems that the High Representative will have to live with a president of the Council much more visible. Sources close to the Spanish they downplay the importance of the omnipresence of Michel. And even consider that “can be an added value for the EU foreign policy, always and when there is coordination. And coordination exists.”
community Sources remind us that the international work of Michel “feeds of information” generated by the European External Action Service, the department of more than 4,000 officials led by Borrell. “The original source is the same so that the unit of action is guaranteed,” said these sources.
The voice of Macron leaves reinforced
The role internationall is the current president of the European Council guarantees to Paris, a privileged access to control the agenda of the diplomatic Brussels. Charles Michel, former Belgian prime minister, and Emmanuel Macron maintain a close relationship grow more, if possible, since the belgian has begun to preside over the Council and the european summits.
The dazzling tour of Michel in Istanbul and Cairo to try to put out the fire in libya only came after the Friday spoke by phone with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and that on the same day held a working lunch with Macron at the Elysee palace.
on Monday, Michel and Macron also had scheduled a working dinner, to the thread of the meeting with the countries of the Sahel organized at Pau by the French president. And sources from the presidency of the Council points out that the first extraordinary summit of the international character that prepares Michel (for the month of march) would be also linked to the Sahel, an area of priority interest for France.
The closeness of Michel and Macron responds to both an affinity generation (around 40 years) as a political identification, both being leading representatives of the family of european liberal. The rise of Michel to the european presidency was, in large part thanks to the good result of the group of Macron in the European Parliament elections in may 2019.
The axis Brussels-Paris, however, may raise suspicion in other capitals, especially when addressing issues that other cities have other interests. It is the case of Libya, where Italy is at odds with France.
The activism of Michel also raises doubts from the point of view of the effectiveness. The multiplication of voices in european can increase the cacophony in a time in which Trump, Putin, or Erdogan speak with forthrightness. Community sources point out, however, that the intervention of Michel has been positive. And attributed in part to Europe to have avoided an escalation of tension in Iran and that Turkey and Russia have promoted a cease-fire in Libya.
