Mogherini sets out core aims of EU Global Strategy
HRVP Mogherini i gave a keynote address on the EU Global Strategy on foreign and security policy today.
Speaking to a crowd of senior diplomats, foreign policy analysts and representatives of civil society and NGOs, Mogherini stressed the importance of a common European strategy to keep citizens safe and guide EU action in times of uncertainty:
"No country alone can carry the weight of the world on its shoulders".
In a world that is increasingly connected, contested and complex, Mogherini underlined the importance of strong principles to guide EU action: engagement, responsibility and partnership. "We need to stay rational and think strategically", she said speaking in Paris, "turning inwards is not an option. Our citizens understand very well that unless we find common European solutions to joint threats, such as terrorism, we cannot address today's most pressing problems".
French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, also addressed the conference stressing that in a world that is rapidly changing we cannot go on as before: "we need to do more and better" in the European Union. Ayrault underlined that the EU's Common and Security Policy is already making an important contribution to keeping EU citizens safe and resolving conflict around the world.
The conference which was organised by the European Union Institute for Security Studies and the European External Action Service as part of the public consultation on the EU Global Strategy addressed some of the core questions at stake from how best to address common challenges such as migration and climate change and what can be done to prevent conflict and keep citizens safe. Relations with China and Russia were also discussed. A core theme of the discussions was that in a world where the consequences of conflict elsewhere can have an impact on our everyday lives, foreign policy is about everybody. The strategy would therefore be for the whole of the European Union: Member States, institutions and especially its citizens.
Find out more about the EU Global Strategy