Two additional questions about the Middle East

After the agreement on Iran´s nuclear programme, there are two additional questions related to the Middle East that should receive the same amount of attention. They are both related to peace and security in the region. As such, they are vital for a geopolitical space that has known decades of conflict and remains the major focus of international instability.

One of those questions is about fighting violence. What can the UN Security Council and the countries of the region do to bring peace to Syria and Iraq as well as to Yemen? In different words, can we launch a regional conference on peace and security in the Middle East? This is a very central question. It has to be raised and we have to call on the international leaders to take up their responsibilities and dare to initiate such a process.

It cannot be just about peace in country A or B. In this very volatile part of the world we need to look at the future from a regional perspective. The country by country approach has a very limited impact.

The second question is about the Palestinian crisis. The Quartet is not producing any tangible results. The Palestinian issue is just not being properly addressed. We need to ask ourselves what can be done to change the trend and be in a position to initiate a true process that can lead to a durable solution. 

Here, I see a much greater role for the EU. The EU should take the lead. And it has a chance to do it, now that Tony Blair has moved out of the picture. It has also the moral responsibility, to compensate for all the years we have lost with Blair pretending to be around.

Moderation is essential at this stage of the EU affairs

The current political narrative within the EU is led by those with extremist views. The Greek crisis has in many ways contributed to a serious intellectual split. Many have taken the defence of the underdog and are expressing radical opinions against Northern Europe, in general terms, and more specifically towards Germany. This trend is certainly not the best to keep the EU together. It also undermines a tolerant approach to the cultural differences within Europe. It is actually the best way to foment prejudice and hatred.

I am certainly worried by this development.

It is time to show that Europe is still a worthwhile project. And that we are not at all at the deathbed of the common project. To start with, there is a need to better explain the reasons for the approach followed at the last Eurogroup summit. Many people have yet to understand its rationale. We cannot be blind to the damage ignorance causes. Particularly when, on the other side, many people are just adopting a very negative approach or being influenced by those who have an exalted, exaggerated, unrealistic opinion about these matters. 

Europe´s face cannot look tired

I have supported since the early days Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission. I know he has the experience and the courage required for such a tough job. But these days he looks tired and too thin-skinned, irritable. He should pay attention to that. Leaders, particularly at challenging times, should look as being in control, calm and refreshed.

The rentrée, after the summer break, will be particularly demanding for Europe. Greece will continue at the top of the list, side by side with the immigration issues, plus matters related to internal security and instability in North Africa and Middle East. To that already heavy list, one should add the policy matters raised by the very special political options of Viktor Orban in Hungary and Cameron´s exigencies in terms of reform, and also the need to re-open the dialogue with Russia.

This is a full agenda. It calls for leadership that projects strength, confidence and optimism. And those features have to be seen on the TV screens, when people like Juncker are talking to the media or to the EU Parliament.  They are the public faces of the Union. 

Spain is getting back on its feet

I just spent a good number of days travelling in the Andalusia Region, in Southern Spain. I saw once again a country full of dynamism. To me, all signs appeared to show that the economic recovery is firmly on its way. Business is moving up. This is certainly good news.

It is also true that people keep complaining about the cost of living, the scarcity of job opportunities and the high-handed taxation system. They are certainly right. Spain, like other EU countries, is putting too much pressure on the working people. They are the ones that finance a good deal of the recovery. They are the ones that get heavily taxed. And this should not be the case. 

Development matters

It´s time to bring the international debate back to the development issues. We cannot forget that there are still many men, women and children out there that need drinkable water, basic health, elementary education, real jobs and full respect for their human rights. But we tend to put that reality aside and just focus on two or three current affairs matters. Greece, for instance, has taken so much of our attention. We did not lose sight of the Greeks ´ situation but we lost sight of the misery and despair that make the daily life of more than two billion people in many parts of the world. It is time to be reasonable again and also to regain a sense of the proportions. 

Iran´s nuclear accord

The nuclear agreement with Iran has been reached after nine years of negotiations.

During the last stage of the discussions, the discussions were carried out by the Foreign Ministers themselves. And as we look at them sitting around the table for so many months and incredibly long hours, we can only say that they represent the elite in terms of knowledge and capacity to understand the importance of such a deal for the world of today and tomorrow.

We should therefore trust their judgement and recognise this accord has to be a good thing for peace and security in the Middle East. The parties to the agreement deserve our trust and our support. 

The Eurogroup has to take a decision that is clear

The Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers is still on at the very end of this evening. It has been a long meeting. And also a very tense discussion, from what I can understand at this stage. All this shows that the EU is confronted with a very serious crisis that has a major impact on Greece, of course, but also on the rest of euro zone countries.

It is time to be very balanced and to think positively. It is also time to be very clear, in one direction or the other.

Major crisis are complex matters, difficult to decide upon, but at the same time they call for clarity. People want to know the direction things will take.

Politics is about opting. And in the case of a grave situation is also about making sure that whatever is decided is the most reasonable approach, among a choice of options that are all rather painful. 

Spain: difficult times and the people´s response

Life is today more challenging for many Spaniards. These have been difficult years and a long period of painful adjustment processes. But it is also amazing to see how people have accepted the changes and how they are trying to cope with lower levels of income and higher levels of unemployment. That does not mean they have accepted the new situation. But they have kept a very healthy level of pragmatism. 

BRICS and the cyber disputes

As the BRICS summit comes to an end, one could see that “internet governance” was a major issue very much present in the informal discussions. 

Russia is particularly concerned by the fact that the Domain Name System (DNS) is entirely managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN. This Corporation is a US-based entity and it therefore follows the North-American legal rules. For Vladimir Putin this is seen as a strategic risk. 

He was very much counting on India´s support to gradually create an alternative system, but Prime Minister Modi is not ready for a move that would jeopardise his relations with Washington. India wants to be a key player in the world´s digital economy but in very clear terms: India sees itself as a service centre for customers all over the planet. And they know that the US can become the most important market for the Indian expertise.

The BRICS summit

Today´s BRICS summit has more or less escaped the attention of the mainstream media. It is true that a meeting in Ufa, a far-flung city in the middle of vast Russian steppe, is not easy to cover. But it is also true that Greece and the Chinese stock exchange crisis are taking a lot of headline space. And they are much easier for international reporters to access.

Within the BRICS, the trend is for a deepening of the economic cooperation between the three big ones: China, India and Russia. These countries, contrary to Brazil and South Africa, can take advantage of their geographic proximity. Their political relations are also rather friendly and that adds leverage to their economic exchanges.

Besides that, one should recognise that every one of these five countries have the same concern: they want to get a stronger voice in international affairs. And that´s the cement that brings them together.