EU tries to sound united
The Australian  | April 16 2005 | Cameron Stewart
 

THESE are trying times for Javier Solana, the man slated to become Europe's first foreign minister at a time when the European Union is seeking to establish itself as an emerging and unified force in global diplomacy.

Solana may or may not ever assume his lofty title – his fate depends on the whims of the voters of the 25-nation EU who must first approve the European constitution which, among other things, would establish the inaugural position of a European foreign minister.

But Solana, a former Spanish foreign minister and former NATO secretary-general, has little time these days to ponder the voters' verdict.

As the EU's High Representative for foreign and security policy, Solana is already consumed with achieving what many have long considered impossible – the creation of a consistent and unified European foreign and security policy.

With the EU still licking its wounds over the divisions caused by the Iraq conflict and its accompanying fallout with Washington, Solana is the front man for the daunting task of asserting the EU's stamp on world affairs.

But in an exclusive interview with The Australian in his Brussels office, Solana said the recent European visits by US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice showed that the Iraq fallout was history and that the time was right for Europe to assume a louder and more unified voice in foreign affairs and on security issues.

"We had a moment of difficulty around Iraq, but that is over," he said. "Bush and Rice were here and we have recuperated and the relationship has matured. I think it was important that (Bush) came to Brussels. It was of symbolic value and signified that some of the problems of past years are over."

In recent months the EU has shown tentative signs of a more pro-active approach to foreign policy, particularly on the issue of Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions and on the contentious question of lifting its own arms embargo on China, imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

But achieving a common approach to foreign and security policy has been a recurring nightmare for the EU. With a record 25 members, spread from Ireland in the west to Poland in the east, and with each sharing different historical experiences and perspectives, the task of forging common positions on matters of global importance has never been harder.

With each member country holding veto power over common EU foreign policy positions, consensus is rarely reached on contentious issues, resulting in what critics describe as a "lowest common denominator foreign policy".

When Henry Kissinger once famously asked which phone number he could use to call Europe he was only half-joking. Yet if the European constitution is passed it will be Solana's phone number which will be on the speed dial in Bush's Oval Office and Solana will oversee the first EU diplomatic service.

His hopes for a greater EU role in global affairs include the delicate matter of a more independent and assertive defence posture. In other words, a European defence capability which does not rely on the US.

"It is logical that the EU moves into the security field," he says. "You should not think that the US is going to want to be engaged in all the operations which the EU is going to be involved with."

Solana rules out the creation of a European standing army, but strongly backs the recent creation of EU rapid reaction "battle groups" in which EU members earmark military resources that can be devoted to a crisis at short notice.

The EU is also developing a range of co-operation agreements with NATO, which allow it to use NATO military assets in certain circumstances.

As one EU official said: "You are never going to be credible in foreign affairs unless you can back it up with some defence capability."

Washington has kept a wary eye on this push for a more assertive and autonomous EU defence posture, fearing that it will diminish NATO's influence and therefore dilute US influence in Europe's security.

As a former NATO chief, Solana is sensitive to such concerns and talks diplomatically about NATO being a strategic partner with the EU rather than a competitor. But the reality of a more muscular EU defence posture will inevitably render NATO less relevant than ever, raising serious doubts about the long-term future of the trans-Atlantic organisation.

"Clearly NATO is no longer relevant," says Fraser Cameron, director of a Brussels-based think tank, the European Policy Centre. "As the EU expands, and deepens its influence in these areas, NATO will gradually disappear."

While Solana will not say it, the ultimate outcome of the EU's push for an independent military role is that the EU will supplant NATO as the primary vehicle of trans-Atlantic relations.

"Two years ago the Americans would have opposed this strongly," says Frederic Bozo, senior fellow at France's Institute of International Affairs. "But I think now the Americans are less concerned with the idea of a more independent European defence posture. They realise that it might be in their interests because the US can't do everything itself."

The spokesman for France's Ministry of Defence, Jean-Francois Bureau, agrees. "I think there is now a better understanding of these issues (in the US)," he says. "The US is very busy with major military commitments and I believe they see this as complementary."

Certainly the softer rhetoric about US-European relations employed by Bush and Rice during their recent European visits suggest that, if only for pragmatic reasons, Washington is slowly accepting the potential benefits of a stronger and more united Europe.

Solana believes the US will prefer a European ally which is strong and united – even if it is at times troublesome – rather than one which is weak and divided.

But Solana knows that Europe today is still defining its place in world affairs and that it will be a long road before he can confidently say that Europe speaks with one voice on key foreign policy and security issues.

If the European constitution is passed by EU members, Solana late next year will become Europe's foreign minister, a job many say could prove a poisoned chalice.

But despite the size of the challenge, Solana is keen to do the job. "It will allow me to do more practical things," he says. "I very much hope (it happens)."