It is clear that the military victories achieved so far will have lasting effects only if the state’s sovereign functions are restored and basic state services are delivered once more. 17/11/2020 - Senior European Union officials warned this week that the election of Joe Biden will not bring an immediate return to the trusting partnership between Europe and the U.S. that existed prior to 2016. However, in order to develop mutually beneficial relations across the Mediterranean, we will have to successfully bridge the divide growing between its two shores, especially in economic terms. 17/10/2020 - HR/VP blog - In times of crisis, we logically tend to focus on our own difficulties. 26/11/2020 - La UE vive pendiente del bloqueo de Hungría y Polonia a los fondos de recuperación y de la negociación in extremis del Brexit. EU Member States have decided yesterday to launch a new CSDP crisis management operation in the Mediterranean Sea, called EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. EU leaders are ready to engage on important avenues of cooperation including the modernisation of the Customs Union, the relaunching of high-level dialogues and people-to-people contacts, plus strengthened cooperation on migration management. The aim was to send an SOS to policy-makers around the world, asking them to give highest priority to schools in their plans to reopen their economies. That’s why, for example, we are working with our ASEAN partners to deploy counterterrorism advisors in several of our European Union Delegations across Asia. And that means relearning the language of power and combining the European Union's resources in a way that maximizes their geopolitical impact. 16/11/2020 – HR/VP Blog – Last Friday, I participated in the third edition of the Paris Peace Forum, devoted to the response to the pandemic crisis and the principles that should govern the post-Covid international order. The EU is still Africa’s first partner in many areas, but we are facing more and more competition. 06/10/2020 - We need to strengthen our ties with Africa, a young and dynamic continent. The recession is indeed less severe than in Europe, but in a region where GDP grew by an average of 5.3 per cent per year between 2000 and 2018, the shock remains very strong. 21/11/2020 – Sarajevo – EU Delegation. Doing so will not only secure the European Union's proper place on the world stage, but will also ensure a healthy transatlantic partnership in the years ahead. 22/01/2020 – HR/VP blog – The inauguration of Joe Biden opens a welcome new chapter in EU-US relations. 29/09/2020 - Last week, I took part with my colleague Vice-President Dubravka Šuica in an event organised jointly with UNICEF. 10/03/2021 – HR/VP Blog – Recently, Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis presented a new trade strategy at the College of the European Commission. 22/01/2020 - These days in foreign policy we understandably spend a lot of time dealing with crises, from Libya to Iran, Iraq, the Sahel and beyond. I have passed a clear message to the Ethiopian leadership: we are ready to help, but unless there is access for humanitarian aid operators, the EU cannot disburse the planned budget support to the Ethiopian government. The situation is desperate for the local population and the conflict is unsettling dynamics both within Ethiopia and the whole region. We need to understand where each of us is coming from; what worries people and why; but also what we have in common. E.U's Top Diplomat Says Europe's Relationship With U.S. Is Forever Changed, Washington Post – Europe is ready for Biden to get started, LENA Group - Josep Borrell on the outcome of the US elections and the future of transatlantic relations, Cadena SER - Josep Borrell: "Las relaciones entre Europa y EEUU serán más positivas", RNE - Borrell confía en la buena relación entre Europa y EEUU: "Esperamos que se puedan superar los momentos de desencuentro", RTVE Catalunya - Josep Borrell: "Del resultat electoral als EEUU en depèn un ordre internacional multilateral", Onda Cero - Josep Borrell: "El último voto puede ser decisivo. The bridge is named after the Venezuelan statesman and it was until the Venezuelan economic crisis a popular crossing point for citizens to shop across the border. 16/03/2021 – HR/VP Blog – In debates on EU foreign policy, key concepts that people often refer to are multilateralism and multipolarity. As EU, we face rougher seas and risk getting caught in the cross-currents of major powers telling us to “pick a side”. "There was silence [in Friday's press conference] from the high representative [Borrell] because he was very vocal in the negotiations with Mr. Lavrov", which included "high levels of tension", the spokesman told media. And while we have to mobilise all our resources to fight the virus at home, now is also the time to look beyond our borders, most specifically at our sister continent Africa and the Southern Neighbourhood, as well as at the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, the EU imposed its first-ever cyber sanctions, to defend its citizens and companies from cyber threats. 17/11/2020 - Several outlets - There is never any justification for callous killings such as those that have taken place recently in France and Austria. We live in a permanent ‘battle of narratives’ about the issues that determine our future. BRUSSELS. First, we started with Russia and the events around Alexey Navalny. HR/VP delivered the closing remarks at the 10th anniversary of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI). But also in a more structural way to jointly foster economic development which is green, digital and fair on our two continents. 30/06/2020 - HR/VP Josep Borrell on the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Syria and EU support (on the occasion of the fourth Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”, co-chaired by the European Union and the United Nations, 22 to 30 June 2020). 06/11/20 - HR/VP blog – Last Tuesday we held the 5th EU-Pakistan strategic dialogue. 13/08/2020 - The situation in Belarus has become a matter of grave concern. Josep Borrell said in a blog that it was diplomatic practice to avoid expressions of political preference, but there was no mistaking his delight at the outcome of last week’s election. Nowhere is the US-China rivalry more striking than in the South China Sea. There is a glimmer of hope that we need to build on. He took the opportunity to discuss the Covid-19 epidemic and the role played by the WHO. This conflict threatens also to destabilise the whole Horn of Africa. 10/12/2020 – HR/VP blog – At Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council, member states agreed to launch a new EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to strengthen our collective action in this field. 09/11/2020 – HR/VP Blog – The victory of Joe Biden as the President-elect has been warmly welcomed in Europe. Addressing disinformation is an urgent necessity. US-China tensions and the pandemic will have long-term repercussions for ASEAN. Water is also the basic ingredient, essential to the production of all kind of food, whether vegetable or animal. We mostly discussed the consequences of the current crisis for Europe and the world. Philippines' leader Duterte also claims that Beijing promised him an early vaccine. For our part, we chose a multilateral response: the EU is mobilising €400 million in guarantees to support the COVAX initiative for a global supply of vaccines for citizens across the world, in poor and rich countries. Borrell's spokesman repeated the blog claims in Brussels on Monday. 21/06/2020 - Rising international tensions and conflicts at the doorstep of Europe urge us to take our collective security into our own hands. 19/01/2021 – HR/VP Josep Borrell in European Parliament plenary debate on three CFSP, CSDP, and Human Rights reports, highlighting how the pandemic has accelerated political trends and revealed the weaknesses in global and European governance in 2020, and on foreign policy challenges that Europe faces and the need for a rules-based order. Nos micrófonos da TVG tamén falou de Europa. Politics is about making choices and the EU’s future is what we make of it. And for this we need both the will and the means to do, including defence means. Dass China Europa unbedingt als Markt brauche, müsse man nutzen. Towards a gender-equal world: a mission for all, From Dayton to Brussels: Working together for a stable and democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina, European Strategic Complacency Is Not an Option. This was also much needed because the region has lately not been high enough on our agenda: we must reverse this trend. He sets out the concrete actions that the EU is taking to build a gender-equal world. Also features interviews, op-eds, and selected speeches and videos. 13/04/2020 - Josep Borrell, alto representante de la UE en política Exterior, asegura que la conflictividad y los reproches hacia el Gobierno son más fuertes en España que en cualquier otro país de Europa y añade que de esta crisis solo se podrá salir con una gran coordinación mundial. 01/12/2019 - Der neue Außenbeauftragte Josep Borrell will über Kampfeinsätze der EU weiterhin einstimmig entscheiden. US-China decoupling in high-tech and telecommunications, banking and finance could force Southeast Asian countries to make tough choices. Therefore I gave to my counterparts and to the public in the region the strong message that they will always find in the European Union a trustworthy, reliable and predictable partner. At first glance, there is none. "Llevo 40 años trabajando en los temas europeos y los acuerdos siempre llegan en el último minuto, cuando se está al borde del precipicio. At this stage, the risk seems serious that it destabilises many developing countries and strengthens a trend towards authoritarian regimes. How the EU Should Deal with the US–China Competition, Making Europe's future rhyme for the Next Generation (with Ursula von der Leyen), Latin America, the European Union and COVID-19 (with Jutta Urpilainen), Srebrenica: make sure that it never happens again, Let us nurture the EU-Israel relationship, not gamble it, Europe will continue to support the Syrian people, For a united, resilient and sovereign Europe (with Thierry Breton), Solidarity with the Venezuelan People (with Arancha González Laya), Trust and reciprocity: the necessary ingredients for EU-China cooperation, Afghanistan: a war not to forget, a people to support, La UE y América Latina y el Caribe: aunar esfuerzos frente a la COVID-19, Tous ceux qui veulent la paix en Libye doivent soutenir l’opération Irini, Cette crise pose une question existentielle pour l’Europe, Four Priorities for a Global Pandemic Strategy, An Eastern Partnership that delivers for all (with Oliver Varhelyi), Africa and the European Union: A partnership for the future (with Jutta Urpilainen), Brexit : what does it mean for the European Union and our partners? "A Window on the World" - Personal blog by HR/VP Josep Borrell. 16/01/2020, New Delhi Following the joint proposal by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, the EUR 750 billion of additional expenditure proposed by the Commission should be financed through the issuing of debt instruments on the financial markets. 28/05/2020 – United Nations, New York 08/10/2020 - This Wednesday, we discussed in the European Parliament the dramatic situation in Venezuela. 11/04/2020 - The coronavirus has not only Europe but the entire global community in its grip and is the world’s common enemy. And yet many want the EU to play a stronger, geo-political role in a dangerous world. All the EU’s relationships with the world’s key strategic actors have been in play, i.e. We must and will strengthen our ties. 25/12/2020 - Josep Borrell ist Außenbeauftragter der EU. 22/02/2020 - The European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy on building a common foreign policy. Adding the 750 billion euros of the Next Generation EU instrument makes a considerable change from the initial draft budget presented by the Commission back in 2019. Let me explain what this new regime is about and how the EU institutional machinery works. 20/03/2021 – HR/VP Blog – The year 2020 was the year of the pandemic, changing our world profoundly. The international community, and in the first place the European Union and its Member States, has reacted quickly to mitigate the immense damage and suffering caused. It is home to Ethiopia, the fastest-growing economy in the world during the last ten years. The book tells the story of the main events of 2020 and how the EU has responded. For me, for instance, it is a longstanding one. 22/09/2020 – Project Syndicate/Various outlets – In any normal year, I would be in New York City now for the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). "No podemos desmantelar el orden multilateral", afirma. A decisive issue for our common future. Josep Borrell, el Alto Representante para la Política Exterior de la Unión Europea, concede entrevistas horas después de un bronco debate en el Parlamento Europeo. 24/11/2020 – HR/VP blog – With a ‘democratic recession’ underway and new threats to democracy emerging, we need to step up the defence of democracy, both at home and abroad. Il s'interroge ici sur les conséquences de la crise actuelle pour la position de l'Europe dans le monde. Let’s have a look around the globe to assess how the pandemic is changing the balance of wealth and power. La UE se estrella contra Rusia. On 18 and 19 March, I visited IRINI’s Headquarters in Rome, the air base Sigonella and one of our four ships currently at sea - the FGS Berlin. On Thursday here are ministers of defence, on Friday ministers of foreign affairs. 25/05/2020 - I was glad that my friend Heiko Maas asked me to speak at the opening of the annual German Ambassadors’ conference, together with Chancellor Merkel. The German government recently adopted Indo-Pacific Guidelines, a useful contribution for that purpose. The reaction I received points visibly in a different direction. Syrians continue to live in fear and despair, their future held hostage. We look forward to the conclusion of the talks on an effective, substantive and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea between ASEAN and his neighbours, which should not prejudice the interests of third parties. Es tracta de saber com ens endeutem i com anem al mercat de fons per estats", 08/04/2020 - L’Alto rappresentante per la politica estera dell’Unione sostiene il Fondo per la ripresa proposto dalla Francia e appoggiato dai mediterranei (behind paywall), 07/04/2020 - Confinado en Bruselas, el Alto Representante de la UE para Asuntos Exteriores concede la entrevista a este diario vía telemática, 04/03/2020 - Visoki predstavnik Europske komisije za vanjsku i sigurnosnu politiku, ujedno i potpredsjednik Komisije, u Zagrebu je na sastancima ministara obrane i vanjskih poslova. So, as EU we will have to reflect on the broader implications and chart a way forward. In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, the European Union decided to open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. My visit comes at a critical juncture for Libya and the international efforts to support the search for peace: we are beginning to see a more hopeful phase. In addition to my blog posts, you will also find here a repository of interviews, speeches, opinion pieces and videos. This was a good opportunity to take a step back and reflect on what has been achieved and where we go from here. We have no hidden agenda, only a clear and public one: to defend the rules-based international system. Mission letter The launching of the EU-supported ASEAN Customs Transit System later this year is one example. However, with progress comes the risk of “vaccine nationalism”. He stresses that constant efforts are needed to protect these values in a world of evolving threats. The post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission (HR/VP) offers a wide-open window on the world. 02/06/2020 - Für Josep Borrell wirft das Sicherheitsgesetz für Hongkong die Frage auf, ob Peking seine internationalen Verpflichtungen einhalten werde. If we agree more on how we see the world and the challenges it contains, it will be easier to agree on what to do about them. 21/09/2020 - Ahead of his visit to Kyiv on 22 September, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, gave an interview to Novoe Vremya. It is also fully mobilised to help forge a global, multilateral response strategy and assisting those in fragile and conflict-affected countries. If we want diplomacy to succeed – and we certainly do – it must be backed by action. Josep Borrell Fontelles. And in particular the will not to align with China or the US in the growing strategic rivalry between them. 09/11/2020 – Brussels – EEAS. After Brexit, how can the EU and UK best cooperate on foreign policy? Over the course of two days, I met with members of the Indian government and addressed the annual Raisina Dialogue – India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. As EU, we need to look at the consequences in geo-political and geo-economic terms and define our approach to the Indo-Pacific. For more than two months, people, cities and countries around the whole world have been on lockdown, attentive to the numbers of infections, recoveries and deaths. 03/02/2020 - Several outlets - On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. It was a great honour to appear in Spain’s parliament for the first time since my appointment as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In an interview, he explains why he didn't fight back harder. 17/12/2019 - At the beginning of this week, I had the honour of chairing in my capacity as High Representative the ASEM, the “Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers Meeting”. http://www.facebook.com/EuropeanExternalActionService, https://www.youtube.com/user/EUExternalAction?feature=mhee, "A Window on the World" - Personal blog by HR/VP Josep Borrell, Ethiopia urgently needs to return to peace, Syria: ten years on we still need a political solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict, EU-Turkey relations: the need to build bridges, Vaccinating the world: the EU is doing more than it gets credit for, Operation IRINI and the search for peace in Libya, Book: European foreign policy in times of COVID-19. I hope this blog can help create better understanding of the issues on which we are engaged. 04/02/2021 - Ahead of his mission to Moscow, Josep Borrell says the EU and Russia view each other as rivals rather than partners and calls for starting a frank exchange of opinions. 14/07/2020 - Several outlets - Five years after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was concluded, it is on life support, following the US's reinstatement of sanctions and Iran's return to enrichment activities. 31/10/2020 - HRVP Blog - Since the beginning of my mandate, I have been working on a new EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. 21/01/2021 – Brussels – the European Commission. 08/05/2020 – United Nations, New York 23/07/2020 - After tough negotiations, EU leaders agreed an ambitiously funded recovery package. 08/11/2020 - Pulsamos las reacciones de Europa al futuro cambio en la Casa Blanca. Shortly after the ceasefire understanding announced on 21 August, the aim of the visit was to explore further support the EU can provide to implement this ceasefire and help resolve the Libyan conflict. The event represents the greatest concentration of global policymakers in one place and is the high point on the diplomatic calendar. All parties should refrain from the threat or use of force and from any provocative actions. On 22 December, EU High Representative Josep Borrell published a blog reflecting on recent developments in Belarus. He granted this interview to Professor J.H.H Weiler, Co-Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of International Law (EJIL) and the International Journal of Constitutional Law (ICON). 08/06/2020 - Several outlets - HR/VP Josep Borrell and the Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton publish an article in several European media on the EU’s reaction to the Coronavirus crisis and the lessons learned “For a united, resilient and sovereign Europe”. To summarise, while others choose to undercut multilateralism, ASEAN – like the EU – wants to ensure that trading systems and security are governed by rules and based on international agreements, not on the idea that “might makes right”. I do not agree with the relativism of 19th-century Spanish philosopher de Campoamor claiming in a famous poem that nothing is true or false and that everything depends on “the colour of your glasses”. 04/11/2020 - Josep Borrell, alto representante de la UE para Asuntos Exteriores, ha valorado los primeros resultados que nos llegan de las elecciones americanas. E l'Europa cosa fa? In 2018, the combined GDP of the ASEAN has been $3 trillion, compared with $16 trillion for the European Union.