Federica Mogherini, Top EU Diplomat, Says Bloc Is Prepared for Trump ‘We are ready for a transactional way of working,’ foreign-policy chief says, citing common interests By Laurence Norman and Julian E. Barnes
http://www.wsj.com/articles/federica-mogherini-top-eu-diplomat-says-bloc-is-prepared-for-trump-1481740445
BRUSSELS—The European Union is prepared for a more deal-oriented relationship with the U.S. once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the bloc’s chief diplomat said Wednesday, adding that approach won’t prevent cooperation on a broad range of issues, including the Iranian nuclear deal.
“We are ready for a transactional way of working….one more based on an analysis of where our interests coincide,” Federica Mogherini said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in Brussels. “I believe that going through the list of global conflicts and regional issues, we would come out with a very long list of things where we have an interest in either a division of labor or a common approach.”
The bloc’s foreign-policy chief suggested a new trans-Atlantic relationship could have upsides for the EU, playing down the prospect that Mr. Trump’s interest in warmer ties with Russia would necessarily counter Europe’s interests. Indeed, she said a more independent EU might line up with Russia against any efforts on the Trump administration’s part to scuttle the Iran accord, shake up Middle East policy, or reduce the role of the United Nations.
Senior European officials have openly worried about the possible impact of the Trump administration’s foreign policy on Europe. They have expressed concerns not only about his stance toward Russia, but also that he will demand a higher price for underwriting the region’s security and will be less committed to working with the EU to press for democracy and the rule of law in Europe’s neighborhood.
However, Ms. Mogherini pointed to a range of shared interests where the EU and U.S. are bound to work closely, including counterterrorism, crisis prevention in key regions and fighting migrant-smuggling gangs. Since taking her job, the 43-year-old former Italian foreign minister has also made it a priority to deepen the bloc’s defense and security structures to allow it to start deploying hard power more effectively in its neighborhood.
Ms. Mogherini said she believed such common interests could lead the new U.S. administration to work with Europe in implementing the Iranian nuclear deal. During the electoral campaign, Mr. Trump trashed the agreement, which seeks to bloc Iran’s route to a nuclear weapon in exchange for lifting a broad range of economic, energy and banking sanctions.
But European diplomats have said that in recent discussions, Trump aides have signaled he is unlikely to scrap the pact. EU officials have also warned that if the U.S. walks away from the agreement, the bloc won’t feel obliged to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.
‘There is no way the [Iran] agreement can be reopened bilaterally.’
Asked if the agreement can survive, Ms. Mogherini said, “Yes, I think it is in the interest of the United States that the deal continues to be implemented.”
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