As the High Representative of the Unión Europea for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission under the presidency of Jean-Claude Juncker, Federica Mogherini (Roma, 1973) championed European diplomacy to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine in 2014, the renewal of the nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015, and rebuked Trump for his interference in European politics after showing support for Brexit in 2017. A decade later, the same conflicts return with new forms.

Mogherini was in Barcelona this week to receive the Premio a los Valores Europeos,awarded by the PSC,and in a conversation,reflects on the role of the EU in an increasingly unstable global scenario,which challenges the principles on which the European project was built.

“Me parece esencial evitar que el aumento del gasto militar se traduzca en recortes en áreas como la sanidad, la educación o la protección social”

Defense Spending and Societal Priorities

The increase in defense spending across Europe raises concerns about potential trade-offs with essential social programs.

-En la cumbre de La Haya, los aliados de la OTAN acordaron aumentar el gasto total en defensa hasta el 5 % del PIB para 2035, ¿cómo interpreta este cambio de paradigma?

-This change is a natural evolution, especially if we consider that the process had already started previously and that, in 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerated the urgency of reinforcing Europe’s defense. Furthermore, given the growing uncertainty coming from across the Atlantic, Europeans must invest more in their ability to protect themselves. Though, budgets are not infinite. If more money is allocated to defense, it is indeed legitimate to ask where that money will come from. It seems essential to me to avoid the increase in military spending translating into cuts in areas such as healthcare, education, or social protection. These sectors not only define our societies but are also basic pillars of the European way of life.

US Influence on EU Policy

The extent to which the United States influences the European Union‘s decision-making processes remains a topic of discussion.

-Hablaba de la incertidumbre que supone ahora EEUU y ya en su momento criticó la injerencia de Trump en la política europea durante el Brexit. ¿Considera que la agenda estadounidense condiciona las decisiones de la UE?

-The EU is not only free to decide for itself and to act, but it is doing so. From within, we feel our limitations, but from the outside, Europe is a window of hope and continues to defend the principles that may now be in question in Estados Unidos: the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and freedoms. But, on the other hand, from a political point of view, I would say that there is a kind of international connection between far-right movements, which support each other because they share the same ideology.