Federica Mogherini set to become new EU foreign policy czar

Italian foreign minister Federica Mogherini received unanimous approval this week to all but confirm her appointment as the European Union’s high representative for foreign and security policy and a vice president of the European Commission. After Monday’s three-hour confirmation hearing, barely any member of the European Parliament challenged her credentials, and she is now set to become the bloc’s new foreign affairs czar if Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker’s team gets the final green light in a parliamentary vote later this month. Leaders of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs — known as AFET — said the Italian candidate showed herself to be “well-prepared, dedicated and competent.” Civil society too seemed to be impressed by Mogherini’s performance. In a blog post following her hearing, CONCORD Vice President Laura Sullivan said she was encouraged by the fact that the EU’s foreign policy chief would focus on prevention rather than only reacting to crises. Sullivan also applauded Mogherini’s commitment to developing a new vision for European foreign policy, as well as her emphasis on the need for coherent EU policies that support human rights. Profile and priorities Mogherini has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy work, actively participating in NGO campaigns and later with the center-left Democratic Party in her native Italy, before her appointment as foreign affairs minister in February 2014. “We are living in very difficult times,” she said during the hearing, referring to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the Ebola pandemic in West Africa, and the influx to the EU of immigrants as a result of turmoil in countries such as Syria and Iraq. To tackle these crises, she called for measures to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international stability. To ensure better integration of the external dimension of Commission policies with the European External Action Service and make policy coherence for development a reality, Mogherini said she will be working closely with both Commissioner-designate for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and Commissioner-designate for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. There are four notable policy priorities gleaned from her hearing and in answers to MEP questions: 1. Development Mogherini emphasized the importance she attaches to development in EU foreign policy, taking into account the new paradigm of the post-2015 framework. She said she strongly believes the bloc’s relationship with the developing world — especially Africa — will need to be “recalibrated.” “Some of these countries are nowadays capable of important innovation. Their economies are growing and they have the capacity to develop in a way that is sustainable, equitable and just. Europe has a lot to offer in terms of both technological and social innovation,” the Italian noted. “Our development model, which has always tried to marry economic and social development with equity, can be a powerful reference point for our neighbors’ neighbors to the south. We need to use our limited aid resources strategically and support those initiatives that are designed to encourage prosperity and well-being.” As a long-standing partner and neighbor, Mogherini stressed Europe has a responsibility to ensure that African societies can achieve their development objectives fairly and sustainably. But this, she underscored, will require innovation and new thinking from Brussels. “We have to make sure that we do not see Africa just in terms of crises,” she said, referring to the Ebola outbreak. “We need to see the positive stories from Africa and see Africa as a partner … I really believe that we will need to work with Africa, rather than working in Africa.” 2. Human rights In the same vein as her EEAS predecessor Catherine Ashton, Mogherini promised to give human rights a central role in foreign policy. She said she will “not only raise the issue, but [will] try to make a difference.” “It’s part of my DNA, it’s not just a clause [in the EU treaties],” the Italian noted. “The EU has a reputation and a track record that it has to maintain. Human rights will be one of my overarching priorities and I intend to use them as a compass in all my relations within EU institutions, as well as with third countries, international organizations and civil society. Our efforts must now be tailored to implementation.” Mogherini wants to work with her Commission colleagues to mainstream human rights in vital policy areas such as migration, development, environment, Internet governance, trade, investment, technology and business, to name but a few. She also promised to deepen her engagement with interlocutors in international and regional organizations, regularly engage NGOs and civil society groups, and closely coordinate with the bloc’s 28 member states. 3. Trade “Trade policy can represent a key instrument to eradicate poverty and promote the economies of countries, as well as to induce integration in the global economy and respect for values such as human rights, labor rights and environmental protection,” Mogherini said. The future EU foreign policy chief explained how trade policy is one of the most important foreign policy tools at its disposal. To ensure that trade policy complements foreign policy goals, she revealed that she intends to develop a joint approach through the EEAS. In this regard, Mogherini said she will pay special attention to the EU's relations with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries, in close cooperation with the international cooperation and development commissioner. 4. Migration Referring to the Lampedusa tragedy in Italy last year, Mogherini stressed that the EU has a moral duty to save lives and needs to work with countries of origin and transit. “We need to solve the problems at the roots,” she said, alluding to major immigration routes like Libya. Mogherini believes that equally important is the need to work on the link between development and migration. The international community has pledged to put people at the center of the post-2015 development agenda and, as requested by the EU-Africa Summit in Brussels earlier this year, global partnerships on migration and human mobility should be a core component of this framework. “We need to address the root causes of displacement through EU development policy, addressing humanitarian, human rights and developmental needs in countries of origin,” she said. “The EU’s strategic framework for human rights and democracy does not talk about migration. 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