High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy

This article is about the office of "EU Foreign Minister" as created by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. For the previous positions see:

• High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (1999-2009)
• Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy (1958–2009)

Josep Borrell, Acting High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy (HV, in the contract text for short: High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy , colloquially EU Foreign Minister or EU Foreign Representative ) is a contract that came into force on December 1, 2009 New position created by Lisbon within the institutional structure of the European Union with several functions in different organs: The High Representative is also Vice-President of the European Commission , Chairman of the Council for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Representative of the European Council . The High Representative is appointed by a qualified majority for the term of office of the European Commission after the approval of the Commission President by the European Council . The current incumbent has been Josep Borrell since December 1, 2019 .

tasks

The European External Action Service (EEAS) logo

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy merges the previous offices of the High Representative for CFSP and the Commissioner for External Relations . He is to represent the EU together with the President of the European Council to the outside world. With its proposals, it contributes to the definition of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the common security and defense policy (CSDP) and implements them on behalf of the Council . He is also a Vice-President of the European Commission and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Council . The High Representative is thus given important posts in two important EU institutions, namely the European Commission and the Council of the EU . One therefore speaks of a " little double hat ". (The "big double hat" would be the amalgamation of the Commission President and President of the European Council , which is not provided for in the Lisbon Treaty .)

The European External Action Service , newly created in the Lisbon Treaty , which builds on the Commission's earlier EU delegations and also includes seconded staff from the national diplomatic services, reports to the High Representative. The High Representative also coordinates the work of the EU Special Representatives .

history

The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE) provided for the office of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy to be merged with that of the Commissioner for External Relations and renamed "Foreign Minister of the Union" (Art. I-28 TCE, so-called smaller Double hat ). After the failure of the Constitutional Treaty , the European governments agreed in the Treaty of Lisbon, at the urging of the United Kingdom, to keep the previous title in a slightly modified form. The office is therefore referred to in the new EU Treaty as the “High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy ”. Except for the name, however, the provisions of the constitutional treaty have been fully adopted ( Art. 18 and Art. 27 EU Treaty).

Incumbents and candidates

2009 to 2014

Shortly before the EU special summit on November 19, 2009, at which the new High Representative was nominated by the European Council , the Italian Massimo D'Alema and the Romanian Adrian Severin were considered promising candidates for the office. Before that, the Briton David Miliband was also in discussion, but he turned down a candidacy. Surprisingly, Catherine Ashton was finally nominated and confirmed as the first incumbent.

2014 to 2019

The political guidelines of the new Commission President , Jean-Claude Juncker , dated July 15, 2014, plan to strengthen the High Representation: " The next High Representative for European foreign and security policy must be a strong, experienced actor, the national one and European instruments, as well as all the instruments available to the Commission, combine more effectively than has been the case in the past. He or she must act together with the European Commissioners for Trade, Development and Humanitarian Aid and Neighborhood Policy up to now fulfilling his role in the college of commissions . " In contrast to this requirement, the then Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini was nominated as Ashton's successor at the EU summit on August 30, 2014 in Brussels. Mogherini had only been in this position for six months and was relatively unknown before that.

list

photo	High Representative	From	To	Political party	Country	Commission
	Catherine Ashton	December 1, 2009	November 30, 2014	SPE	United Kingdom	Barroso II
	Federica Mogherini	1st December 2014	November 30, 2019	SPE	Italy	Juncker
	Josep Borrell	1st December 2019	officiating	SPE	Spain	Von der Leyen

literature

• Jean-Claude Juncker: “A New Start for Europe: My Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change” , Political Guidelines for the next European Commission , Strasbourg, July 2014.
• Gisela Müller-Brandeck-Bocquet / Carolin Rüger (Eds.): The High Representative for the EU Foreign and Security Policy - Review and Prospects. Baden-Baden 2011, ISBN 978-3832960025

Web links

Commons : High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the HR on the website of the EU External Action Service
• Stephan Karkowsky: The EU creates a foreign minister (thesis, FU Berlin 2004)
• Albrecht Meier: "Europe seeks good advice" , in: Der Tagesspiegel , November 16, 2009.
• Carolin Rüger: “Can Josep Borrell teach Europe the language of power?” A balance sheet after 100 days in the office of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. (March 11, 2020)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ dpa: The new commissioners: From old hands and newcomers - the new EU Commission . In: The time . November 27, 2019, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed December 1, 2019]).
2. ↑ EurActiv , November 10, 2009: Socialists emerge as top candidates for EU positions ( Memento of November 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ EurActiv , November 9, 2009: Miliband rejects EU foreign policy office ( Memento of November 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 19, 2009: EU special summit: Socialists nominate Ashton ( Memento from November 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
5. ^ Jean Claude Juncker, Political Guidelines, Section 9: More Weight on the International Stage, pp. 11 f.
6. ^ EU leaders pick Tusk, Mogherini for top posts. , accessed September 1, 2014.
7. ↑ New EU leadership: Tusk becomes President of the Council, Mogherini foreign representative . Spiegel Online, August 30, 2014, accessed on the same day.