From Ukraine to Syria: What foreign policy priorities for the new European Commission?

On 1^st November, Federica Mogherini, the new High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will take office. She will have to contend not only with a world in which Europe’s weight is greatly diminished but with a reluctance at the heart of the EU to face reality. With crises surrounding Europe, what should the new European Commission and EEAS focus their attention on, and how can the EU institutions re-engage member states (including the UK) on working towards a credible common foreign policy?

Nick Witney joined ECFR as a Senior Policy Fellow after serving as the first chief executive of the European Defence Agency in Brussels. Previously, Nick worked for the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence. His last position before Brussels was as the MOD's director-general of International Security Policy, where he was responsible for NATO and EU policy as well as missile defence. Nick is the co-author of ‘Rebooting EU foreign policy’ (October 2014).

Spyros Economides is Senior Lecturer in International Relations and European Politics at the London School of Economics, and Deputy Director of the Hellenic Observatory. He was a Research Associate of the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College and at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Quentin Peel is Mercator Senior Fellow at Chatham House. Previously he worked at the Financial Times as chief correspondent in Germany, international affairs editor/columnist and foreign editor.