The European Council President and the EU's external representation: (Inter)action in times of war in Europe

Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has brought war back to Europe, altering the security equilibrium. The war has placed Ukraine at the centre of the European Council's agenda and debates. The European Council President is in regular contact with the Ukrainian leadership, multiplying visits to Ukraine and references to the war in his speeches delivered abroad. This has also been the approach of the other two key actors in the EU's external representation: the European Commission President, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP). However, this has not led to more cooperation or cohesion in the EU's external representation, as the three actors have carried out their tasks individually rather than jointly, and barely ever interact outside international summits. The Lisbon Treaty allows for parallel action in the EU's external representation, and the resulting reality is often competition between the different actors. Furthermore, the vagueness of the Lisbon Treaty provisions allows the various actors to (re)shape their external representation roles, often at the expense of the others. Mediation, a task the European Council President, Charles Michel, has taken upon himself with the Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, is a case in point.