There is a difference between who the EU’s next foreign policy chief should be and who it will be.
It should be Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the most experienced and capable foreign minister of the big three EU member states—France, Germany, and the UK. But he feels he can have more influence in Berlin, a sentiment that in itself is a commentary on the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
The second-best candidate would be Kristalina Georgieva, the respected European commissioner for humanitarian aid, who would be well placed to bridge the gap between the commission and CFSP. But she has only an outside chance, as her native Bulgaria’s lobbying weight is rather slight.
The two candidates favored by think tankers are Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, widely seen as “too clever by half,” and his Polish counterpart, Radek Sikorski, who, having already submitted his candidacy, is likely to suffer the fate of most candidates who declare too early. Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister, would have been a good choice, but since Jean-Claude Juncker has been appointed as president of the European Commission, there is unlikely to be another Benelux national in one of the three top jobs (the third being president of the European Council).
So who will be the dark horse? Step forward Federica Mogherini, unheard of until she was appointed Italy’s foreign minister in February 2014. She has limited experience but probably more than Catherine Ashton, the EU’s current foreign policy chief, had when she was appointed. Mogherini is from the center-left, has not upset anyone, and is female, so she ticks a lot of boxes. What’s more, Italy wants the job as it did not get the position of NATO secretary general.
Read more: Judy Asks: Who Should Be the EU’s Next Foreign Policy Chief? - Carnegie Europe
It should be Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the most experienced and capable foreign minister of the big three EU member states—France, Germany, and the UK. But he feels he can have more influence in Berlin, a sentiment that in itself is a commentary on the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
The second-best candidate would be Kristalina Georgieva, the respected European commissioner for humanitarian aid, who would be well placed to bridge the gap between the commission and CFSP. But she has only an outside chance, as her native Bulgaria’s lobbying weight is rather slight.
The two candidates favored by think tankers are Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, widely seen as “too clever by half,” and his Polish counterpart, Radek Sikorski, who, having already submitted his candidacy, is likely to suffer the fate of most candidates who declare too early. Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister, would have been a good choice, but since Jean-Claude Juncker has been appointed as president of the European Commission, there is unlikely to be another Benelux national in one of the three top jobs (the third being president of the European Council).
So who will be the dark horse? Step forward Federica Mogherini, unheard of until she was appointed Italy’s foreign minister in February 2014. She has limited experience but probably more than Catherine Ashton, the EU’s current foreign policy chief, had when she was appointed. Mogherini is from the center-left, has not upset anyone, and is female, so she ticks a lot of boxes. What’s more, Italy wants the job as it did not get the position of NATO secretary general.
Read more: Judy Asks: Who Should Be the EU’s Next Foreign Policy Chief? - Carnegie Europe
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