In her exam before the European Parliament in autumn 2019 (which, unlike Teresa Ribera, she passed without any surprises), Josep Borrell coined a motto that should guide his work: “Europe must learn the language of power“. When taking stock of his five years at the head of EU diplomacy, the veteran Spanish politician admits that he has fallen far short of that goal, in a charge that they warned him is “impossible”since foreign and defense policy remains the responsibility of the capitals and any initiative requires the unanimous agreement of 27 countries.
“Given the rapid deterioration of our geopolitical environment, we still There is much to do to avoid the risk that Europe stops being a relevant actor on the global board in the future. Regarding European foreign and security policy, we still have a lot of work to do to effectively combine the power of the Member States and the policies managed by the Commission,” Borrell wrote in the final entry of his blog, a kind of a five-year will marked by a succession of crises: Covid pandemic, Russian invasion of Ukraine, total war in the Middle East.
“At the beginning of my term I said that we have to learn to use the language of power. Remember? That is even more true today than it was five years ago. To use the language of power, to show that you do have power, you have to be united. If we are not united, we cannot show power. Many times we have not been united. Many times the discussions have lasted too long,” laments the outgoing EU High Representative for Foreign Policy.
“You cannot pretend to be a geopolitical power if it takes us days and weeks and months to reach agreements to act. My last appeal to my colleagues is to be more united and make decisions faster. Events do not wait,” said Borrell in his last EU Foreign Affairs Council. His replacement will be taken over starting this Sunday by the former Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallaswhich rose to the forefront of the European scene for its hard line towards Russia, but whose policies towards the rest of the world are still a mystery.
He locks her up in Moscow
On February 5, 2021, Borrell visits Moscow in order to intercede by the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who had just been sentenced to three and a half years in prisonbut also to reduce tension between Brussels and Russia. But the meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, turns into a real trap. In an attack specifically directed at Borrell, whose activism against processes It is well known, Lavrov discredits the EU using the cases of Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junquerasto whom in a convoluted argument he tries to equate Navalny.
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at the joint press conference with Sergei Lavrov.
Europa Press
Borrell listens impassively to the Russian minister and does not even attempt to refute his argument. Upon his return, he receives a barrage of criticism for his “disastrous” diplomatic mission. But the High Representative defends himself, claiming that the important thing was to convey his message about Navalny face to face to the Kremlin. “Do you think I wouldn’t have liked it?” enter into a melee with Mr. Lavrov and openly refute some of his observations? “How, for example, compare the case of Mr. Navalny with that of some MEP (in reference to Puigdemont) who sits in this Chamber?” he asks the critics.
The fall of Afghanistan
In August 2021, Joe Biden executes the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in a absolute chaos. Despite his promise to renew his alliance with the EU, the president of the United States does so unilateral formwithout even consulting its closest partners. Europeans find with indignation and surprise that, without Washington’s presence, they too cannot stay in Afghanistan, nor even guarantee a safe evacuation.
“President Biden is the third consecutive American president who has warned us that The US ignores the world’s wars. This represents a wake-up call for Europeans, that we must wake up and assume our responsibilities,” Borrell then warns.
His proposal is to create a European military rapid intervention forcemade up of 5,000 soldiers, and capable of carrying out missions such as guaranteeing security in an evacuation like the one experienced at the Kabul airport. This force was finally approved by Member States in March 2022 and should be operational in 2025, but it is not clear that the deadlines will be met.
The war in Ukraine
“What will remain in my memory was one day (February 24, 2022), at 6 in the morning, when the phone rang and a voice told me: They are bombing kyiv. With this short phrase, they are bombing kyiv, at 6 in the morning, a new era of our history opened“Borrell said at the end of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine. His main success as head of European diplomacy, as recognized by his supporters and detractors, is having maintained European unity in the response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
Josep Borrell greets Volodymyr Zelensky on his last visit to kyiv
One of the first measures that Borrell adopted was to use the EU budget to finance the delivery of weapons to the Government of Volodymyr Zelensky. “Another taboo has fallen. The taboo that the European Union would not provide weapons in a war“, he said after the virtual emergency meeting held on February 27. The High Representative has also achieved the unanimity necessary to approve up to 14 packages of unprecedented economic sanctions against the Kremlin.
However, European unity in supporting Ukraine is beginning to crack. On the one hand, Hungary Viktor Orbán Blocks up to 6.6 billion euros of European funds to send military material to kyiv. Furthermore, Borrell himself has admitted that it is not clear that the EU can support Zelensky alone if donald trump cuts US funding to Ukraine. Stopping aid to Ukraine “and bringing it to its knees in front of the Kremlin would be a quick, but deeply unfair and dramatic way to end a war,” has warned.
Helplessness in Gaza
“I am leaving Brussels with a huge, gigantic frustration at our and everyone’s inability to stop this massacre” in Gaza, Borrell repeats every time he is asked to take stock of his five years at the head of European diplomacy. Following the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 and the response of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government, the European Union has repeatedly exhibited its impotence due to the deep division between Member States.
On the one hand, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia were the first to demand a ceasefire from the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu and they have recognized the Palestinian State alone, apart from the rest of the European partners. At the opposite extreme, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic have defended Israel’s actions at all times and without reservation. in Gaza. The other Member States have oscillated in intermediate positions. The result is that the EU has not been able to speak with one voice, and therefore has not been able to exert any influence.
In this crisis, Borrell has always taken the side of those most critical of Netanyahu’s Governmentwhich has earned him criticism from the rest of the partners. In his last meeting as head of European diplomacy, he proposed suspending the political dialogue provided for in the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel due to violations of human rights and international law by the Netanyahu Government in Gaza and Lebanon. An initiative that was immediately shot down by Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Greece or Denmark.
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