In unpredictable times, the European Union will remain a reliable and indispensable power, High Representative Federica Mogherini said today.

"In the confusion we are facing, you can be sure that the European Union will remain a stable, reliable, predictable partner for many and for security in the sense of a collective security based on cooperation. This is the way we are working, this is the way the world can count on us to continue to work," she told a panel at the 53rd Munich Security Conference, entitled 'The Transatlantic Relationship and the International Order'.  
Mogherini expressed her belief that, contrary to the view of many, the EU is 'in a good place' and must start to have more belief in its own strength.

"And I think ... that the European Union is much, much stronger that we Europeans realise and it is much more indispensable to Europeans and to the world than we realise most of the time. Because seen from the outside the European Union is a reliable, predictable, strong, cooperative partner for many in the world. I would say a point of reference when it comes to multilateralism, free and fair trade, human rights and rule of law, economic development, the Sustainable Development Goals, the fight against climate change – and I could continue." 

The High Representative underlined that the EU is also a global security provider, and is crucial in ensuring that its 28 member states are able to achieve economies of scale in defence and security: "We are putting in place a European defence fund that will support exactly this cooperative defence spending to fill the gap."

"Security challenges today – she added – cannot be faced effectively with a purely and exclusively military approach." Mogherini described the "European way" to work on global security, combining hard and soft power: "Investing in strong societies (...) makes a country stable; investing in resilience, in human rights, democracy, good governance, jobs, education… investing in this, which is the European way, is also an investment in our security."

The High Representative reiterated that the EU has a very close and crucial relationship with the US, which will continue, as will the EU's ever closer cooperation with NATO.

She also stressed the need for the international community to continue pressing for a solution to the crisis in Eastern Ukraine and for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. 

The High Representative later signed a Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD) with Afghanistan, together with the Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi, in the presence of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.