Why Mogherini was Not in Belarus: Powers and Weaknesses of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

by Angelo Amante

Image from www.neurope.eu

The absence of Mrs Mogherini at the Minsk summit on Ukraine did not pass unnoticed, reopening the debate on the role of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In Belarus, Europe was not represented by Mogherini, but by Angela Merkel and François Hollande. This fact reveals that the Franco-German axis still dominates the EU’s geopolitical relations. Since the early 1950s, the balance of power between France and Germany constitutes the core of a united Europe. Politically speaking, therefore, the role of France and Germany in Minsk is far from unexpected.

From a legal point of view, however, the question is more complex. What follows underlines some problems with how the Lisbon Treaty delineates the figure of the High Representative. The Lisbon Treaty establishes that the High Representative shall preside the Foreign Affairs Council, leading the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The High Representative is also one of the Vice-Presidents of the Commission and functions as the head of the European External Action Service. In theory, the competences and powers of the High Representative are thus quite relevant. In practice, however, the particular policy field to which the responsibilities and activities of the European Foreign Affairs Minister are ascribed is rather abstract, posing a number of obstacles.