 Thank you so much for your for your kind words and I want to tell you how Honored and pleased I am to be here in the Institute. I was trying to Remember the last time I was here in in Dublin and precisely visited the the Institute with the then Minister for European Affairs, which was Pierre Moscovici. He has Since then become finance minister, which is not maybe the easiest of task in the present days I am now in Brussels but the Institute is still here and this is Something that I think we should all Cherish I'm very pleased also to be in Dublin a few a few weeks now let's say a few months before the the Irish presidency and I think this is an event that will be Something that we will have to follow very closely and for DES We're very happy to look to be looking forward for this Presidency because Irish presidency have always been very efficient and quite remarkable I must say and It is something that we're looking for Can I add but this is a secret that everybody knows in in in in Brussels is that The Irish are the ones who really control the institutions whether David or sort of an with whom I work on the databases and who is a real dear friend or Catherine day at the In the Commission we all know that Ireland has managed to do what all Other member states will love to do is to have the real influence and to do it in a in a very informal way I was asked to talk about European diplomacy in a multipolar world and while I was thinking about what I could tell you I Was wondering suddenly whether there was really a EU diplomacy? I think you are Welcoming in the next few days Stefan Lennar who is a dear friend also and who will explain to you that there is nothing such a European foreign policy that all this is being ruled by the three main member states And then I was wondering whether there was really a multipolar world come back to that So I wondered whether I shouldn't stop now and sit down and wait for your question But I'll try anyway to go a little bit deeper and as quickly as possible because I think it's quite important to Interact with all of you and and trying to answer your question I Would just like to make my remarks around three questions. I would say first one Related to precisely the title of this Brief intervention. I hope it will be briefed it. What kind of world are we living in as diplomats? I would look at this only from the foreign policy perspective And I think we need for a realistic and accurate assessment about the kind of world We're living in which is in my opinion a world more and more complex and less and less stable One word about complexity. We all know that for obvious reasons We are facing a world that is more and more complex because we have new actors the emerging powers We have new challenges. I don't want to list them all but you can imagine it's easy climate change the fight against terrorism Immigration and many other issues and we're also facing a new institutions The G20 the emerging countries who are trying to build around what is called usually the bricks some formal Organization there also All this is Is testimony to something? I think none of us really thought would happen After the fall of the Berlin Wall the idea was that we were going into a a single polar world where one big Power would Rule more or less the whole of the international community the reality is That this has not happened and that we are in a totally different Situation and this has created a quite complex situation. We're going through I don't want to spend too much time But I would just like to give you one or two examples so that you understand the kind of difficulty We're facing today whether as a European Union Diplomacy or even as member states diplomacy think about Syria and Compare the situation we're facing with Syria today with what happened for instance in Lebanon in the 80s or the 90s here With the Syrian crisis you're facing a situation where all the different dimension of that situation are intertwined in mingled all together and very difficult therefore to find a way out you have local dimension with all the different communities fighting against each other and the regime fighting against the Armed opposition, but you have also the regional dimension now where you have the country the Gulf countries coming in With the support of a Turkey and trying to push their their advantage there and on the other side Iran and Being the one who is on on the other side, and then you have the international dimension with America on one side Russia and China on the other side many of the Western countries also being on the side of of the United States this Combination of different dimension is something that is becoming more and more impossible to untangle and to try to find a way through Think also and that will be the only other example I will give you but I could give you many other examples in Africa or elsewhere think about the Arab Spring we've had in my opinion and wrongly so The impression that what was happening since last year what has been happening since last year The Arab world this extraordinary movement towards democracy and this Transition from the previous regime to something that is still in the making and we will see what will come out of this the impression many got in Brussels is that this looked very familiar to what we had witnessed in the 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall once again when all the countries from Eastern and Central Europe Came back to democracy and moved Towards their new and their new their new history In fact, if you look very closely, it's quite different in fact It's quite different because in fact with countries from Eastern and Central Europe. There was a clear goal. It was about Getting into NATO and getting into the European Union. It was about enlargement It was about accession and it was by the way a great success story But of course you as you know, this is not at all the same situation we're facing with With the Arab countries in North Africa or elsewhere The other main difference of course is that at that time There was not much competition with the European Union We were the single power that was very attractive for countries from Eastern and Central Europe And we were in a sort of monopolistic situation. I would say with regard to accession Today when you look at what's happening in those countries when you Discuss when these countries to see what we can do in terms of assistance towards development Economic or social development, sorry You discover suddenly that Europe is facing huge competition from not only the countries in the area Turkey or maybe Iran or others But from countries like China like Australia like Brazil like South Africa That are coming in and proposing also their their help and their assistance to those countries So a very competitive world at the moment totally different from what it was before And at the same time a world that is as I was saying less and less stable When people are talking about multipolar world, what do they mean really and that is a question I think we should ask ourselves every day because we tend to Accept that Reality as something that is there, and I'm not sure it is There as we think in fact one of the complaints you will hear more and more in this complex world we're living in is about the lack of leadership either for This accusation being directed towards the Americans or towards some other of the emerging Country, I wonder if this assessment about lack of leadership Is not something that is more more Generally related to the nature of the global world we're living in where We are facing everywhere in fact and not only with some of the big powers We're facing everywhere a problem of leadership think about those emerging countries We talk about all time long Brazil or South Africa or even India India How far does their influence at the moment reach In in their own region and are they really interested in being seen as the main leader of their region? Brazil is a very interesting example when you go to Brazil and talk with our colleagues in the foreign ministry They are the first one to tell you that they're certainly not looking for some sort of Leadership in the region that they have to take into account of all the sensitivities of the different countries around and Just think about Argentina think about Venezuela and some of the other Part of this Bolivian coalition. They are definitely competing for influence also And the situation is much more complex that is usually said and the same thing can be said about South Africa about India and about many others So I think that when people are talking about Multiplier world or talking about a g2 or also one should be rather cautious about Assessing the situation in those in those terms It seems to me that what we are witnessing and I will not try to Go too far into that is that we're witnessing a new international community in the making it is Going on it is slowly and progressively coming in but it is fraught with instability and uncertainty and of course we have to Look at this and to see what is going on Too phenomenon that I find quite interesting as if you look at the regional organizations are at the UN You're seeing more and more regional organizations slowly moving in Trying to exert some influence think about the African Union and the way they have been trying to manage some of the crisis on their continent Somalia and the Horn of Africa Darfur the Sahel Recently the crisis in the Ivory Coast Whether it be a coas or the African Union or some other Organization in the African continent I think about the UN and the way in a very contradictory way We manage at the time of the Libyan crisis to come up with an impressive resolution resolution 1973 where the the Statement about the the need to protect civilian population was put in the forefront With the possibility if necessary for the use of force and at the same time afterwards In with regard to the Syrian crisis Vitos from some permanent members of the Security Council They haven't allowed to Improve on what had been done with this resolution 1973 so one step forward One or two step backwards at the same time. This is the kind of reality. We're facing my second observation is that in this complex environment where does EU diplomacy stand is it fit to play a role is it relevant even to some extent does it simply exist being I hope a practitioner and trying to be as efficient as possible I will try to answer to that question and to these question in the simplest way just telling you what I see at the moment in in the Post where where I am presently It is as I think relevant I hope so anyway For several reasons The first one is that you must never forget that European foreign policy is nothing new it started on a very small scale in 1972 I think with what was called at that time political cooperation and it has been improving enlarging and reinforcing itself as time has gone by it has now Doctrine values that are shared by all of us principles Statements on many issues the Middle East Africa etc. That is there. That is a sort of treasure That we improve as we move on and that makes European voice a voice that has a real echo nowadays In around the world Let's not mistake ourselves even if quite often many of our partners in Africa or in the Middle East Think we're not efficient enough that we should do more They still think that Europe can help and that we are a valuable partner with whom they want to work and that is Another reality that I'm facing and that we are all facing every day in the ES is that we're being called for by our partners more and more whether it be Let's give you a few examples that you are all aware of but sometimes we forget it Think about the negotiation where it is the European Union that is in the chair The dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo We're part of the quartet Meeting that tries to deal with the Middle East peace process with more or less success. I agree, but we're part of it The negotiation on the Iranian nuclear program where the high representative Katy Ashton chairs the EU 3 plus 3 group Nobody has ever put this in in doubt and More and more of our regional partners of our strategic partners ask us to come in and to help Let me give you another example About more and more demands for the European diplomacy it's It's for instance our Asian partners in what are today increasing tension in the South China Sea very far away from Europe, I would say and Maybe a place where we shouldn't get involved too much, but the truth is either Vietnam Philippines Japan or others are Asking us whether we could come and maybe support them and bring our contribution To try to ease the tension as it is going on So there is a demand for EU partnership for EU support and In spite of the financial crisis and I would like to insist on that In spite of the fact that maybe our credibility has been affected the feeling that the EU governance is Having some shortcomings or some weaknesses here and there We are still in the diplomatic field at least the one I can speak for We're still considered either by our partners in in Asia or our partners in the Arab world or our partners in the eastern Partnership Georgia Armenia, Azerbaijan and others we have calls and requests for the EU to be a Partner with whom they could work So maybe we have to be a little bit more assertive and a little bit less self-critical Then we are all too often with regard to our own performance. I think Last question and I promise you I'll stop afterwards because I've been quite too long What's the role of the yes in the middle of this if we admit in this complex world that the EU Diplomacy has a role to play. What can the EES do? I can only remind you because I don't want to take too much of your time And I'm sure David has covered that a lot when he was here in the Institute a Little bit more than a year ago The whole ambition of what was the Lisbon Treaty it was to bring to the Common foreign and security policy, I would say more continuity more consistency and More comprehensiveness in other words and once again to make it short. It was about Simplifying the whole system with now a high representative and vice president who was taking over the jobs That existed before with the Commission or on the council side with the high representative and With the help of the EES to try to give Continuity and consistency to our foreign policy the rotating presidency now is Not more any more in the forefront. It is Katy Ashton that shares the different councils related to foreign policy the foreign affairs ministers defense ministers and development ministers and I think that even if we have been I would say quite often criticized by the press in in Brussels for not being a successful enough and for maybe having set up an an administration that is cumbersome That is sometimes clumsy What I detect from our partners from third country is quite interesting Usually, they are the only ones who don't criticize us and tell us that they're very happy to have now The yes and the high representative as their main interlocutor in in Brussels once again Let's not mistake ourselves Authored our partners from third country know when they need to go to member states and to discuss with them They know very well that the yes is only Complementary to what member states do we have our role to play and we have to stick to that role But they know very well when they have to deal with the European Union and where to come and work with us If you look at this ambition and you look since then what we have done the first thing I think we have to say that it is an ongoing process We're only at the beginning of what is going to be a long professional adventure and a history that will take some times to unfold and To be I hope a real success It's a huge task that we have started there And I think all those that have come and have talked to you and that will come and talk to you about What the Lisbon Treaty is trying to achieve will underline time and again that we need patience and we need time We could have Done it another way around as we did for instance with the European central bank Which started with a transitional process? It was the monetary Institute and that went progressively Establishing the central bank as it went on here. It was decided and I don't In any way dispute that decision It was decided that from day one the yes would start as such fully fledged hit the ground and run Immediately and I think if we look at the success or the shortcomings Of what was decided by then? I think that on the positive side one can say that we manage I think to run the administration As quickly as possible and without too much difficulties We're sharing some of the working groups the high representative shares the three council I talked about we set up a whole network of new EU delegations around the world that have now a major Political role of coordinating the member states in third countries We have launched a culture for crisis management that didn't exist before and Uniting around and gathering around the same table services from the Commission our friends from the council and all the different parts of the EES I think We have also Managed to work with the different stakeholders of the EES Whether it be the European Parliament the Member States or the Commission and we have established. I think good professional Relations and removing ahead Where are the weaknesses at the moment? I would say threefold One and we need to be patient. It will take time is Blending the different cultures together so that we can all work as a as a common As a as a common corporation. There's a there's still a problem of corporate identity I would say which is which is I would say natural For anyone who works in the private sector and who is familiar with the Merging of different enterprises this takes time Don't forget that it took us more than one year if only to be all together located in the same building in Brussels For the first year of the EES we were all scattered around the city in eight or nine different locations When we wanted to have a meeting together you can imagine the kind of ordeal we went through to do that So it's about blending the different cultures a few figures so that you understand We have Two-thirds of the staff coming either from the Commission Largest part largest share of the total and coming from the Secretariat of the Council and one third made up of Diplomats coming from national diplomatic services You bring all these people together and you act ask them to work in the same way Of course, they come with their own experience their own way of doing things and you have to slowly make all these people share the same culture and the same the same goal and the same identity I think this will be the longest Work to do as we move along But I have no doubt that we will succeed and the end if only because all these people work together and are getting Used to working together The second shortcoming of course, which is something that happens. I think in all the European Union it is Being more efficient with our procedure the European Union is as you know a complicated institution institutional framework That in fact nobody understands outside of Brussels to some extent And that takes time. We're not a federal state. We're not yet a federation of National state that it is said here and there It's something different and when we want to move ahead when we're facing major crisis It sometimes take a lot of efforts from all of us a lot of strength To move as quickly as as possible because we need to get the Commission on board with whom usually we have to Tailor the right proposals. We need to get the 27 member states of board and they're not always Agree with us. We have to deal with complicated financial procedures with complicated rules regarding recruitment or whatever it is and The ES as such when it was launched hasn't got its own rules its own Financial regulation we have to work with the ones that exist at the moment in spite of the fact that we are an administration of its own Neither Commission nor Council and therefore we have to find our way as we move along And I think the third difficulty if or shortcoming as we're facing on is that as we move on We need to get a better strategic vision of what we want to do for the time being because that was what we needed to do We needed to do to work on the daily business that we were facing to cope with the Events in the Arab world to cope with the different crises in Sahel or elsewhere to work on the Balkans on the Middle East peace process and All this we are doing and I think I hope we will do it more efficiently as time goes by But we need to look a little bit further to look One or two steps further to think about the three or four years ahead and how we can Try to set up the road for the member states For the different stakeholders in order to have a better comprehensive view In other words, I'm just asking for the benefit of the doubt for the ES and for all of you to give us More time so that we can prove that EU diplomacy and the EU foreign policy is Bringing a real contribution and being really appreciate in the world. We're living through I Stop here. I've been quite too long and I thank you very much for your attention