ROME (Sputnik) — The United States is losing its position as leader in the context of handling international problems, whereas the European Union is becoming a reliable partner, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday.
According to Mogherini, during her recent tour in Asia and Russia, she has repeatedly heard the same call for a closer cooperation with Brussels not only in trade and economy, but also on security issues, climate change and issues of foreign policy, such as Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
"People want to work with the European Union in this moment not because they always like us, there are many things they don’t necessarily like from us, but [because] they know what to expect from us. We are predictable, and in this moment of the geopolitical dynamic being predictable, and reliable, and strong like we are is quite an added value," Mogherini explained.
Speaking on whether US President Donald Trump is an asset or a liability, Mogherini stressed that "the European way is not that of playing with predictability or unpredictability."
The seventh annual State of the Union conference, held by the European University Institute, kicked off in Florence on Thursday, with the main topics being European citizenship, the refugee crisis, security, the free movement of persons and the labor market and other issues.
