Who is the High Representative of the European Union?

Does the European Union have a Minister of Foreign Affairs? While the High Representative does not formally have the title, they do carry out a lot of the same tasks as a minister would. But what responsibilities and duties does the representative carry? With the double role of being commissioner and High Representative, it’s one of the most powerful roles in the European Union.

Responsibilities of the High Representative

The formal name of the High Representative is ‘The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’. This describes the role of the High Representative quite well, as they are one tasked with representing the European Union and its foreign Policy. More precisely, they are tasked with coordinating, forming and representing the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDF). Therefore, the High Representative is also the head of the European Defence Agency and the European External Action Service (EEAS).

This does, however, not mean that the High Representative is free to do what they please. The foreign policy of the Union is mandated by the European Council (heads of states and government). So the representative has to follow the mandate from the Council when carrying out their duties of coordinating the foreign policy and representing the Union. This also means that the High Representative is responsible for ensuring unity and consistency with the Council. As such, the representative also attends meetings with the Council, although not a member, and gives updates to the European Parliament on the foreign policy situation and the state of the Union’s diplomatic missions.

High Representative and the EEAS

Behind the High Representative is a large and complex organisation, and one of the main institutions is the European External Action Service (EEAS), which can be regarded as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the European Union. This is where the diplomatic missions of the EU, the foreign and security policy of the EU, and the representation at other organisations are coordinated. This is because the representative is the face of the Union at organisations like the UN, NATO and so on, alongside with the Presidents of the Commission and European Council.

As the chief of the EEAS, the High Representative is assisted by the Secretary General of the EEAS. They and the organisation bear the responsibility for the EU-delegations abroad, these functioning as embassies of the Union or diplomatic missions. At no time does the EEAS act at its own discretion, it prepares policy for the High Representative or other institutions of the EU. It was first in 2009 that EEAS was established.

Vice President of the Commission and High Representative

The High Representative is also a member of the European Commission. Unlike their role in the Council, here they have the same rights as the other members and in some regards wield more power, as they also serve as vice-president. The inclusion of the representative in the Commission and their role as vice-president is stated in the Treaty of Lisbon, Article 18. Due to the vice-presidency being a part of the office, the High Representative is at times referred to as HR/VP. It should also be noted, that the representative also chairs meetings in the Council of the European Union (Council of government ministers) when the Council is discussing foreign affairs. The reason for the High Representative to be present in the Commission, the European Council, and the Council of the European Union is to ensure that the policy adopted by either institution is pursued correctly and effectively.

How are they chosen?

Because the High Representative also serves as a commissioner, they have to go through the same process to become elected as other commissioners. In practice, this means that the High Representative first has to be appointed by the European Council with a qualified majority. After being appointed, the representative will then have to stand before the European Parliament for questioning and finally be subject to a vote of confidence. 

It is, however, the European Council who appoints the High Representative, meaning that once a candidate has been appointed, they act as High Representative. The role of the European Parliament is to approve or disapprove of the commissioners. As such, the Council appoints the High Representative and the parliament chooses whether they are fit to serve as commissioner.

How did the High Representative come about?

While the post of High Representative was created with the Treaty of Amsterdam, the role as it is known today was first introduced in 2009 with the Treaty of Lisbon. Back then, the High Representative also held the role of Secretary General of the European Council and not a member of the Commission. The role and authority of the post was also not the same as it is today, as there was a separate Commissioner for External Relations. Today, the High Representative oversees more areas of policy and has more responsibilities.

With the introduction of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the European External Action Service (EEAS) was introduced and the two aforementioned posts were merged. This meant that more power was now consolidated with the High Representative, especially as the representative now was to chair the Council of Foreign affairs of the Council of the European Union and be the representative of the European Union externally, like at the UN. This with the help of the newly created EEAS.