Mogherini: mine is a difficult task, but I don’t lack experience

“I will be totally committed to work in each Member State and citizen’s interest,” promised Federica Mogherini immediately after her election as new High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. “I belong to a generation who thinks the European Union is a dream come true, now we must act in order not to turn it into a nightmare,” she added.

In spite of the criticism about his lack of experience, the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister has made it in succeeding to Catherine Ashton, confidentially called ‘Cathy.’ “I am aware that institutional experience is important, and I have a little of it,”she said, “but the experience with NGOs and social life is important too, and I’ve been working on this field for over 20 years.” Mogherini talked both in English and in French during the press conference, as sort of compensation for the lack of institutional experience. Moreover, she added her age won’t be an obstacle either: “I’m 41 years old, no longer very young, but I cannot change my age. I’m comforted by the fact that PM Renzi is younger than me, that other European Ministers are younger than me: there’s a new generation of European leaders and this is extremely positive,” she said.

She added she’s going to have “a very difficult task” also because “there are crises all around Europe.” And she will be the one with the delicate assignment of making 28 Member States agree on the strategies to undertake. “Still, I won’t be in charge of looking for compromises only: I will also be taking decisions and acting consequently,” she warned. First, it will be necessary to work for finding a solution for the Ukrainian crisis – where “the military option is not viable” and it is necessary “to work at sanctions level” and “keep the door open for diplomatic solutions.” Then, it is necessary to focus on Middle East and Mediterranean “because everything happening there affects us remarkably.”

Mogherini will also be Vice President of the European Commission, and she will be working there pushing the proposals Matteo Renzi has been promoting so far. “I will work on stability and safety” on the side of foreign affairs, she said during the meeting with the journalists at the sides of the press conference,” yet as Vice President of the EU Commission I will be pushing an economic policy for investments.”