Who is the greatest power in the world? The United States has the greatest military and China is seen as an economic superpower, but few consider Europe a force to be reckoned with.
The European Union is often seen as little more than a collection of squabbling, powerless nation states, but that is not how the EU wants to see itself.
From humble beginnings as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), it has grown through the European Economic Community to a powerful economic union of 28 countries with enough influence to make a difference in the world.
Professor John McCormick, in his book The European Superpowers, argues that the United States is oblivious to the fact that it is being overtaken by a group of wealthy European nations that often act and function as one. Europe has become a superpower and with it the need to assert itself on the world stage.
Europe felt it needed ambassadors and diplomats to be on the international stage, since each country asserts itself through its foreign ministry. But there was one small problem: before the Lisbon Treaty, member states still retained some of their sovereignty and had a say through their own foreign ministries. No European country wanted to openly admit that their embassies were outdated, and no one wanted to be blatantly and blatantly replaced. Europe had to think of another solution by establishing its own foreign ministry, so the European External Action Service was created as soon as the Lisbon Treaty came into force. The EEAS was officially launched on December 1, 2010. A rose is a rose by any other name.
The EEAS is an organisation with 3,600 staff and around 140 so-called delegations around the world. Its headquarters are in Brussels and it is headed by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, or High Representative for short. Until last year, this position was held by Baroness Catherine Ashton, a British Labour politician. It is currently held by Italian politician Federica Mogherini.
A lot has been written about Catherine Ashton, much of it critical. She has been ridiculed by some for her lack of experience at the beginning of her role. She came on the scene by asking her European colleagues for help in assembling a new team for the fledgling EEAS, which has since appointed some very capable and experienced spokespeople. If we want to understand how the EEAS presents itself on the international stage, we need to look at two of these advisors and finally arrive at the question: “Who is the most influential person for the EU to actually wield this powerful tool?”
Lutz Güllner
Lutz GüllnerA German national, he studied Political Science and International Relations at the Free University of Berlin and Sciences Po in Paris before working as a public affairs consultant in Brussels and soon being appointed Deputy Director of the EU's Trade Strategy Unit. He currently works for the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade.
Gülner is essentially a spokesperson for the EU and US trade negotiations and has been very active in persuading both countries and the global media. The TTIP deal is the best thing since bread. To all concerned:
Gülner acknowledges that the toughest discussions are taking place in Germany and Austria, which are already prompting new approaches to communication.
“Ten years ago, when we started the trade agreement, there were no debates. People wanted to know about the macroeconomic impact and value of the agreement. With TTIP, things have changed. People are asking more questions about the actual impact, they have become much more defensive and they want to know about risks and opportunities. They want to see more examples, not general numbers,” Gülner continued, adding that the Commission has adapted to the debate.
But it is not enough to adapt to the new ecosystem of public opinion. It is not enough to give examples and explain what the Commission wants to get out of the negotiations and what it means for different constituencies, businesses, the general public and consumers. It is not enough to be active on social media and organize town hall meetings across Europe to explain and engage.
But reshaping politicians and public opinion is not Gülner's only job. Under Catherine Ashton, he was tasked with persuading existing and potential international trade partners to think the European way. All Ashton had to do was close negotiations with a handshake and a press conference. Gülner's power and authority can sometimes be read off in small snippets of media where he has no influence, such as in Belarus. He strongly criticized their stance. Controlling your online activities:
“…Once implemented, the new decree will further restrict freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Belarus,” Gellner said. The EU sees this as a major step in the wrong direction and hopes that the Belarusian authorities will reconsider it. The EU expresses concern about new restrictions on freedoms, including freedom of speech, especially at this time when we are seeking cooperation with Belarus.
Notably, it was Gülner, not Ashton, who uttered this thinly veiled threat that he wanted the freedom to influence public opinion in exchange for a lucrative trade deal with Belarus.
Perhaps even more significant is the reaction of countries approached by the EU with trade agreements. Negotiations on a biofuels trade agreement with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru started out innocently enough but soon took a different turn.
Camilo Tovar (Association of Latin American Development Promotion Organizations) considered that the EU had “changed its focus” in negotiating agreements with Latin America: “Previously the focus was on promoting democracy, human rights, political dialogue and development,” while “trade was a complementary element.”
“Now the opposite is true,” Tuvo said. “Trade interests are the focus of the negotiations.”
Another example of this negotiating style can be seen in Gulner's negotiations with Sri Lanka, where after the EU had produced a report on human rights cases and urged further investigation, Gulner declared:
“The report concludes that Sri Lanka is in breach of its GSP+ commitments,” EU trade spokesman Lutz Güllner said shortly after the report was released. “We will now consult with member states and prepare a proposal to temporarily suspend these additional trade preferences.”
To this A harsh reply Came:
The minister had previously said the government was not open to any investigation and viewed such a move as an infringement of Sri Lanka's sovereignty. “We have every reason to vigorously protest against any threat to use GSP Plus as a 'strong weapon' against our country for any purpose,” he said.
There are many other examples of the EEAS adopting this carrot-and-stick approach, but it has not always elicited a positive response, which is why it is important to approach this effort using all the techniques of persuasion at our disposal, and no one is better equipped to do so than communication experts like Lutz Güllner and his successors.
Lutz Güllner left in 2010 for a “more interesting job” in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and is now Director for Information, Communications and Civil Society. His successor, Michael Mann, is also well suited to the job of cajoling, cajoling and threatening states into giving up their sovereignty in exchange for financial benefits from Europe.
Katherine Ashton has now quietly disappeared According to the Wall Street Journal::
Mr. Ashton has disappeared from the public eye. Two Western officials involved in the talks said they had not heard from him by email, phone or otherwise since Nov. 24. Mr. Ashton declined requests for comment.
Since last year, the new High Representative, Federica Mogherini, has been in charge and, if reports about her role in the negotiations with Iran are to be believed, she has hit the ground running, with the skilled support of Michael Mann. She certainly understands where their priorities lie.
Twitter has also proven to be a revolutionary social network in the political arena. It is a fantastic tool for diplomacy and communication. That is why Michael Mann and the Strategic Communications Department have been working since the beginning of my term to make Twitter one of the fundamental tools of diplomacy. – Federica Mogherini
Mann, Neil Kinnock's former spokesman, is perhaps an even more interesting character than his predecessor. News TV claims:
Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, is reportedly a “senior US psychological warfare officer.”
Being the spokesman for the P5+1 negotiating team makes Mann the communicator who conveys all the data from the negotiations to global public opinion.
The report said the levers of communication were now in the hands of US proxies rather than European negotiators.
Mann reportedly served as the senior U.S. psychological warfare officer in Iraq and has played a key role in stoking political and media controversy against the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and some regional countries.
Professor John McCormick draws the conclusion in his book that Europe may be a superpower, but it does not threaten or cajole. Perhaps he should take a closer look at the EEAS. The title “Spokesperson for the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy” is the best starting point to understand exactly how the EEAS is being used as a tool for empire building.
