Opinion Corner 3 - Talking Point: Has Lisbon boosted the EU globally?
The Lisbon Treaty was supposed to make the EU stronger, more efficient and more visible on the world stage by:
-Creating the posts of EU President and High Representative for foreign and security policy
-Upgrading European Commission delegations abroad to EU embassies
-Merging the foreign policy powers of the Commission and Council into a joint foreign office and diplomatic corps: the European External Action Service.
But has the treaty had the desired effect? The European Commission’s David Ringrose believes Lisbon will bring more coherence to the EU’s foreign policy actions and add a “hard edge to the EU’s soft power.”
However, most of the foreign policy experts interviewed by Mostra believe the Lisbon treaty has created more, not less confusion and that the appointments of Herman Van Rompuy and Cathy Ashton was a missed opportunity for the EU to raise its international profile. Indeed, Dan Hamilton, of the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C.’s John Hopkins University sees the EU headed for “another five years of introspection” as it tries to work out what Lisbon means.
Yes – David Ringrose, Head of Information at the European Commission’s External Relations Directorate Vidéo 44”22 (Sous-titres FR)
P17_TPL_01_RINGROSE
No – Tomas Valasek, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence, Centre for European Reform, London
Video 54” (Sous-titres FR)
P17_TPL_02_VALASEK
-Creating the posts of EU President and High Representative for foreign and security policy
-Upgrading European Commission delegations abroad to EU embassies
-Merging the foreign policy powers of the Commission and Council into a joint foreign office and diplomatic corps: the European External Action Service.
But has the treaty had the desired effect? The European Commission’s David Ringrose believes Lisbon will bring more coherence to the EU’s foreign policy actions and add a “hard edge to the EU’s soft power.”
However, most of the foreign policy experts interviewed by Mostra believe the Lisbon treaty has created more, not less confusion and that the appointments of Herman Van Rompuy and Cathy Ashton was a missed opportunity for the EU to raise its international profile. Indeed, Dan Hamilton, of the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C.’s John Hopkins University sees the EU headed for “another five years of introspection” as it tries to work out what Lisbon means.
Yes – David Ringrose, Head of Information at the European Commission’s External Relations Directorate Vidéo 44”22 (Sous-titres FR)
P17_TPL_01_RINGROSE
No – Tomas Valasek, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence, Centre for European Reform, London
Video 54” (Sous-titres FR)
P17_TPL_02_VALASEK