EU foreign policy
Ashton: Listening must be followed by leadership and vision
Lady Catherine Ashton, newly appointed high-representative for EU foreign and security policy under the Lisbon Treaty, participated in an exchange of views in the European Parliament foreign affairs committee this morning.
Greens/EFA MEPs and foreign policy coordinators Franziska Brantner and Ulrike Lunacek commented:
"Lady Ashton has sent a positive signal by coming before the European Parliament in only her second day in the job as EU high-representative. She has shown she is quick-witted and willing to listen now we need to see her capacity for leadership and her vision for the EU on the world stage. We call on Lady Ashton to detail her priorities for EU external action by January of next year.
Lady Ashton will need to provide a clear European voice and defend the community methods and interests. To succeed in her new role, she must see herself as accountable to European citizens, not simply to Member States. With much in the European External Action Servicestill to be defined, she has a golden opportunity to launch a new tradition of European diplomacy, built beyond narrow national interests and open to the contribution of civil society and other actors. We want to see a clear focus on disarmament, non-proliferation, peace-building and civilian crisis management."
