Lady Ashton gets a break (almost)
Some weeks ago, we posted a message with the title "Can Lady Aston get a break?" . It seems the Gods in the European Pantheon responded to the call and the lady gets her break. As Reuters announces today, Ashton would control three key aid areas, as the EU aims to boost its influence in world.
The Guardian claims the exclusive on a 13-page document, that puts Ashton in charge of regional and country strategy in development policy, loosening the European commission's grip in this key area. As the EU's new foreign policy chief, she has secured key powers over the world's biggest development budget, according to a blueprint for Europe's first common diplomatic service. Aston is to unveil her blueprint tomorrow for the ambitious diplomatic service which has been the object of a ferocious turf war in Brussels and EU capitals for weeks. That's a good gain for Cathy," said a Brussels diplomat in The Guardian. "She will be able to set the direction of how EU money is spent."
The commission endorsed Ashton's proposals today, meaning that Andris Piebalgs, the development commissioner,
has dropped his resistance to surrendering some of his powers over policy decisions.
Despite the boost for Ashton, the outlines of the new diplomatic structure confirm it will be heavily
dominated by the European commission, to the chagrin of Britain and other big EU governments.
Ashton's blueprint calls for a diplomatic corps that will be managed by a powerful secretary general and two deputies.
This model has been criticized by senior parliamentarians as being too closely modeled on the French diplomatic service.
The separate humanitarian aid budget, and assistance for the EU's eastern neighbours, would remain
in the hands of Piebalgs and enlargement chief Stefan Fuele, her colleagues at the executive European Commission.
Lady Ashton has been hoping to secure final approval for her plan by the deadline of end of April, but diplomats say it will be hard to meet the target because she could face resistance from some of the 27 member states and in the European Parliament. So the lady gets a break (almost, but not yet completely). Maybe learning French can be a good move, as France's EU Affairs Minister, Pierre Lellouche invited her to do, as the BBC says. French is traditionally the language of diplomacy and of EU business, so it will improve the British first Lady of foreign affairs' chances in making friends and gaining respect in the diplomatic corps.
Ashton gets support and criticism (again)
Is Europe looking for an EU wonder Woman to run its international affairs? In any case, Lady Ashton is under a lot of pressure. She is under fire (again) for the delay in the creation of the new EU diplomatic corps and for the presence and management of European foreign affairs in the international arena.
The deadline for creating her new diplomatic service was next month, but it will probably be summer before it is ready, the Telegraph announces, with as a key obstacle the appointment of heads of delegations and staff to the EU's 136 overseas missions. A meeting last Thursday with the Commission president Barroso failed to resolve outstanding issues surrounding the corps. To make things worse, several sources continue to criticize Ashton on some of her first decisions, her absence in Haiti and at some key EU rendezvous.
To be fair, even wonder woman, with a magic golden whip and the ability to fly at the speed of light could not be present in all the hot spots of the world. And if that Wonder Woman would have to set up a major new institutional organization at the same time in a complex and not always cooperative environment, she would need the support of a gang of superheroes.
Maybe this is what in some form is happening now. It is a good thing that the lady in distress will now receive aid from three Commissioner deputies, also called "Cluster Commissioners", as Euractiv indicates on its website today.
Štefan Füle, the Czech commissioner for enlargement, Andris Piebalgs, his Latvian colleague responsible for development, and Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian commissioner for humanitarian aid, will assist Ashton, a Commission official said. National ministers from the 27-member states can also come to the rescue, on the basis of a preagreed mandate, to carry the EU's message, Euractiv says.
No doubt this is a logical and positive step. With better distribution of the workload and collaboration between the EU members, things should look up for the new foreign office to be.
Can Lady Ashton get a break?
Lady Ashton, Europe's first foreign policy chief is in for some nasty weather. While the storm Xynthia raided Europe over the weekend, Lady Ashton is facing her own hurricanes in Brussels and in the international arena. As part of typical EU political deal making, the former leader of the House of Lords got a job she was neither hoping nor lobbying for. What for some seemed the best Commission post, now might turn into the worst. 100 days down the road, Ashton opposition seems to be growing.
Of course, it is easier to criticize then to help out or give credit. Jean Quatremer of leftwing paper La Libération in a sharp article cut to pieces the new chief of foreign policy, calling her "Lady Qui?" As always, this well informed journalist and popular blogger-twitterer has a point, and more then one. As do the other knife throwers who see Catherine as a main training aim on the EU target wheel. And yes, foreign affairs requires to travel a lot and be in the field where it matters.
In the Guardian today Ian Traynor writes the first 100 days on the job have not been an easy road trip for Lady Ashton. Not only is her task immense (or impossible). She does not have the ideal track record or reputation to fit the job description in the eyes of the critics. And to top this all, she has to set up and manage one of the most profound institutional changes in the EU of the last years, without the necessary machine to perform the task.
In the last 10 days, 3 key decisions made in her organization further raised the pressure on the Lady: the Portuguese right hand of Barosso was appointed as EU Ambassador to Washington without consulting the member states and a Lithuanian with UK support became envoy to Afghanistan. Her absence at a Nato-EU defense minister meeting in Majorca added to further Brussels and international scepticism.
Can the Lady get a break? This is what her vision documents for the EEAS, the European External Action Service, seem to ask. As critical as anyone can or should be, the fact remains that building Europe is not done by only criticizing it and its leaders, but by showing an open mind and a will to help it build. Don't ask what Europe can do for your country, ask what your country can do for Europe, you might paraphrase the Kennedy catch phrase.
Debate is needed, very much so. But let's make it a civilized sport. Play the ball, not the other player. The image of those who execute dirty tackles is always more damaged then those who are on the receiving end. And the whole European political game looses more credibility. The Farage attempt of comment on President Van Rompuy is a good example of this. The President did not dignify the attack with a direct response, but this sunday in a TV interview on Belgian VRT TV program 'de zevende dag" called it 'pittyful'.
What happened to the flair of British phlegm? Where is the legendary fair play and the fine art of British understatement? William Osler describes phlegm as "coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances, calmness amid storm, clearness of judgment in moments of grave peril, immobility, impassiveness." We wish it in strong doses to Lady Ashton and also to those who wish to disagree with her.
EU hearing week is hot grill
The EU hearings in Brussels are in full motion and will continue until the 19th. Catherine Ashton and Karel De Gucht have passed the test successfully, a whole string of hopefuls are to follow. As it says on the hearings website, the candidates are invited to public hearings by the appropriate parliamentary committee(s). They answer questions from MEPs to assess their abilities, particularly to deal with the issues in their portfolios. The committees' evaluations are then examined by Parliament's President and political group leaders.
The candidate Commissioners face a three houre Q&A 'firing squad' with MEPs. Karel De Gucht commented after his experience that it is quite a test. You could also read the stress on miss Ashton's face after her grilling, where she remained strong and upright.
Imagine to be in one of these candidates' shoes. The tempo of one minute questions and replies is exhausting. The question content is vast, ranging from your CV to political views. And the questions come at you in a variety of languages, with a translation in your other ear. You have to keep up your energy for three hours. And not make a mistake. Best not have a blackout on any subject, any name, geographic data or a political issues. But not only do you have to think fast and make no errors, your answer must be a smart and well formulated résumé of what you think and feel, while remaining inside the lines of where the Commission is going to. To make things more complex, you have to reply using terms and expressions for which in many cases the jargon is only available in English, in most cases not your mother tongue. And to top it all, you are questioned by a group of representatives of varied political colours and opinions, who had the time to prepare their specific question well and and not necessarily like you…
So these Question and Answer sessions are not a pick-nick, more like a barbecue, where each candidate is on the grill. The last time this happened not all candidates passed the test. Would former US Vice President candidate miss Sarah Palin have passed this BBQ session?
De Gucht: full support from Barrosso in Congo row
Karel De Gucht is in the middle of a new clash with Congo. After expressing sharp remarks, the Commissioner was declared an official persona non grata in the African country. During a debate in the European Parliament he had stated that "Congo is a mess. Almost everything has to be redone in the country".
This is not the first time De Gucht has openly criticized Congolese leadership and the sad state of affairs in the heart of Africa. The seeming paradox is that the man shows true love for the country and its people and that his expressed sentiments are based on abundant and correct information. In his former roles on the political arena, De Gucht has shown again and again to have a clear insight in the African political context in general and in Congolese affairs in particular. By formulating criticism, De Guch no doubt wanted to stimulate the change and reform process and call upon the leaders to "shape up and do better". But the opposite seems the result. De Gucht is 'quite a character' and boast a very direct style, intelligent and witty, confident. Enough to be perceived by some as arrogant, no doubt. The surprising interview by Bruno Giussani, European Director of TED Conferences, at the TEDx Brussels 2009 is a clear example of this crisp style.
It remains a thin line between stating facts to construct a better world and telling the truth and by doing so insulting the powers in place and blocking progress. As Development Commissioner Karel De Gucht had questioned whether aid provided to Kinshasa by EU nations was being put to good use. Was that wrong? The humanitarian situation in Congo is a crisis on a devastating scale. When confronted with hunger, poverty and corruption, mismanagement and incompetence, it can no longer be seen as an insult to state these obvious facts. These circumstances strangle an entire nation and push the people beyond poverty into a state of raw Darwinism, survival of the fittest. No democratic leader can accept that.
It seems doubtful this feud can ever be resolved. On Thursday, Congo government spokesman Lambert Mende said: "We note that here is a character who is incapable of having normal, dignified relations with our country". Yet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed the Commission's full support for De Gucht and last Thursday Jose Manuel Barroso also gave De Gucht his full backing. The EU is a major aid donor to the Democratic Republic Congo, sending some 300 million euros (430 million dollars) since 2003. It would seem logical and in the interest of Congo that any doubt on correct spending of that aid would be avoided.
Karel De Gucht will step up in front of the parliament for his hearing in order to be accepted as Commissioner for Trade; Catherine Ashton will be 'grilled' by the MP's today.
Two cheers for the EU
On the Open Europe blog, a cynical comment was posted on last weeks EU summit and the choice of UK’s Catherine Ashton as EU Foreign Minister.
They quote Sarkozy to illustrate what they feel is a lack of democratic openness in the EU household.
Asked why Cathy Ashton got the job of EU Foreign Minister, Sarkozy is clear that this was about rewarding her for pushing the Lisbon Treaty through Parliament and seeing off calls for a referendum:
“She played an essential role in getting the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords, which wasn’t nothing, you will agree. She is one of the British political figures – though it’s in no way up to me to judge – who most strongly promoted the Lisbon Treaty issue. I’ve also had occasion to express my gratitude to Gordon Brown for the responsibilities he shouldered, but right the way through the Lisbon process – and you know how fiercely it was discussed in the United Kingdom, it isn’t a secret for anyone – she was constantly in favour of it, she supported him courageously. And, after all, we were very happy to find British political women and men to get it through when a section of the British political class was asking for a referendum, as you know as well as I do.”
No doubt the blog has a point. But Europe is a process in the making, with good and less “open” days, pushing the Open Europe team to further unhappiness. Being a critic and cynic is easier than being a builder. Europe needs to be more open and precise in its policies and budgets, very true. And there are abundant examples of projects and budgets gone wrong. No doubt.
But Europe remains a valuable proposition and many try to construct valuable initiatives in building a better Europe and a better world. The processes and spending need to be followed and monitored up close, and think tanks like this one do have a valuable role to play here. But if you start out as “anti-block” and start every though with “NothankEU”, all you think, say and do is contaminated by this island attitude. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Two cheers for the EU, not Three. But two anyway!