Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Encyclopedia
Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a British Labour politician who in 2009 became the European Union
's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Under the Lisbon Treaty this post is combined with the post of Vice-President of the European Commission.
Her political career began in 1999 when she was created a Life Peer (Baroness Ashton of Upholland) by the Labour Government under which she took on a ministerial position (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) in the Department for Education and Skills in 2001, and subsequently in the Department for Constitutional Affairs and Ministry of Justice. She became a Privy Councillor PC in May 2006.
Catherine Ashton was appointed Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Queen's Privy Council in Gordon Brown’s first Cabinet in June 2007. As well as Leader of the Lords, she held responsibility in the House of Lords for equalities issues. She also steered the Lisbon Treaty through the UK's upper chamber.
In 2008, she succeeded Peter Mandelson
as Commissioner for Trade
in the European Commission
. In December 2009 she became the first person to take on the newly enlarged High Representative role for the EU as created by the Treaty of Lisbon
.
, Lancashire on 20 March 1956. She comes from a working class
family, with a background in coal mining going back generations. She attended Upholland Grammar School in Billinge Higher End
, Lancashire, then Wigan Mining and Technical College
in Wigan
. Ashton graduated with a BSc in Sociology in 1977 from Bedford College, London (now part of Royal Holloway, University of London). She was the first person in her family to attend University.
(CND) as an administrator and in 1982 was elected as its national treasurer and subsequently as one of its vice-chairs. From 1979 to 1981 she was Business Manager of The Coverdale Organisation, a management consultancy. As of 1983 she worked for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
. From 1983 to 1989 she was Director of Business in the Community
working with business to tackle inequality, and established the Employers' Forum on Disability, Opportunity Now, and the Windsor Fellowship. For most of the 1990s, she worked as a freelance policy adviser. She chaired the Health Authority in Hertfordshire
from 1998 to 2001, and her children's school governing body, and became a Vice President of the National Council for One Parent Families
.
She was made a Labour life peer
as Baroness Ashton of Upholland in 1999, at the advice of Tony Blair
. In June 2001 she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
in the Department for Education and Skills. In 2002 she was appointed minister for Sure Start
in the same department. In September 2004, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Constitutional Affairs
, with responsibilities including the National Archives and the Public Guardianship Office
. Ashton was sworn of the Privy Council in 2006, and became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the new Ministry of Justice
in May 2007.
In 2005 she was voted "Minister of the Year" by The House Magazine
and "Peer of the Year" by Channel 4
. In 2006 she won the "Politician of the Year" award at the annual Stonewall Awards
, awarded to those that have made a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT
people.
On 28 June 2007 the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
, appointed her to the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords
and Lord President of the Council
. As Leader of the House, she was responsible for passing the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords.
as the UK's European Commissioner in Brussels. European Commissioners may not engage in any other occupation during their term of office, whether gainful or not so, in order to take up her position, she used the procedural device previously used in 1984 by Lord Cockfield and took a leave of absence from the House of Lords on 14 October 2008, retaining her peerage but not her seat.
Her appointment as Trade Commissioner was scrutinised by the European Parliament
. She was criticised by Daniel Hannan
, a British Conservative MEP
, saying that she had "no background in trade issues at a time when the EU is engaged in critical negotiations with Canada, Korea and the WTO". However, following her public confirmation hearing by the Trade Committee of the European Parliament
, Ashton was approved by the Parliament on 22 October 2008 with 538 to 40 votes, and 63 abstentions. She has since finished negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement with Korea and initialled it in October 2009.
, a post that was combined with Vice-President of the European Commission. She was elected by the Heads of State and Government of the 27 European Union countries at a summit in Brussels.
Besides representing the EU at international forums and co-ordinating the Common Foreign and Security Policy
and the Common Security and Defence Policy, the High Representative also:
• As Vice-President of the European Commission, she participates in the weekly meeting of the European Commission
.
• Participates in the meetings of the European Council
, where all EU leaders meet.
• Is head of the European External Action Service
• Responsible for the European Union Special Representatives
• President of the Foreign Affairs Council
• President of the European Defence Agency
• Chair of the board of the European Union Institute for Security Studies
During her term in office she and her team have given priority to a number of European and global issues. These include:
• Participation in the Quartet negotiations on the Middle East Peace Process
• Leading European negotiations with Iran over its controversial Nuclear programme
• Responding to the Arab Spring
with a new European Neighbourhood Policy
(May 2011), to provide funding and market access to North Africa
• Supporting democratic forces in Libya
by opening an EU office in Benghazi in May 2011 and supporting the National Transitional Council
• Building a European consensus to establish sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria
• Strengthening relations with the EU’s Strategic Partners such as the US, Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa
• In the Balkans, forging renewed talks between Serbs and Kosovars (“Belgrade-Pristina" dialogue)
• Negotiating an upgraded status for the EU at the UN as foreseen under the Lisbon Treaty
• Establishing the European External Action Service
(1st December 2010), which merged the external relations departments of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and will have diplomats seconded from national foriegn services.
In addition Ashton has personally embraced women’s rights and has visited an orphanage on the Gaza strip several times as part of this. In September 2011 she took part in the UN’s “Women in Political Participation” event in New York.
Ashton spends a large part of her time on the Middle East and North Africa. She has received praise for her role in the Middle East Peace Process, where she finds herself at the heart of mediation .. In relation to Libya, Ashton is optimistic about the possibility of the creation of what she calls "deep democracy", meaning an independent judiciary and civil service, respect for human rights, and the right of the people to vote the government out of office . Ashton has called for the resignation of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
, saying that the EU will not accept the chaos, destruction and death in response to democratic protests in the country .
with her husband, Peter Kellner
, the President of online polling organisation, YouGov
. She has two children, and three stepchildren.
She was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of East London
in 2005.
Besides her mother tongue English, Ashton has some knowledge of French but was not fluent in any foreign language at the time of her inauguration.
newspaper reporting that her appointment as High Representative had received a 'cautious welcome as EU foreign minister from international relations experts'. The Economist
described her as being a virtual unknown with paltry political experience, having no foreign-policy background and having never been elected
to anything. The magazine did however credit her with having piloted the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords, having handled the European Commission's trade portfolio without falling out with her colleagues, and being suited to consensus-building.
Shami Chakrabarti
, the director of a pressure group called Liberty
, who became friends with Ashton when she was a minister at the Department of Constitutional Affairs, said her critics were wrong: "People underestimate Cathy at their peril. She is not a great big bruiser. She is a persuader and a charmer. That is the secret of her success." Her friend, Ian McCartney, MP, said on her appointment: "She is a Wigan girl who has really made good... She is supportive of working people and has never forgotten her roots." The morning after her appointment, Ashton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme
: "Over the next few months and years I aim to show that I am the best person for the job. I hope that my particular set of skills will show that in the end I am the best choice."
She drew criticism, for the fact that she cannot speak any foreign languages.Britain’s High Representative is letting Europe down badly. Lady Ashton does not cut la moutarde.
Ashton has been angered by the criticism, which, according to aides, she argues is a result of the "latent sexism" within the EU community. Ashton came under further criticism, including explicit criticism from national defence ministers Hervé Morin
, Carme Chacón
, Jack de Vries
, and EU minister Pierre Lellouche
, for her failure to attend the European Defence Summit in Majorca.
Secretary General Pierre Vimont joined those defending Ashton from criticism; praising her work in opening the EEAS office in Benghazi
, Libya
as making the EEAs very popular in Libya. He also supported her over Syria
and has asked her to stand for a second term. Polish Minister for Europe, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, also stated criticism against Ashton was "a lot of hot air" and that "she has an impossible job to do and she is doing it well. At the end of her time in office, people will be more positive about what she has done. She will leave a real legacy."
Ashton faced questions in the European Parliament over her role as national treasurer in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
in the 1980s, amid claims by its opponents that it may have had financial links to the Soviet Union
. The eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party
has written to Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, asking him to investigate whether Ashton was party to payments that he alleged were made to CND from the Soviet regime in Moscow. Ashton’s office refused to discuss CND’s funding in detail. It merely said that she “left CND in 1983 and had no involvement after that”.
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Under the Lisbon Treaty this post is combined with the post of Vice-President of the European Commission.
Her political career began in 1999 when she was created a Life Peer (Baroness Ashton of Upholland) by the Labour Government under which she took on a ministerial position (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) in the Department for Education and Skills in 2001, and subsequently in the Department for Constitutional Affairs and Ministry of Justice. She became a Privy Councillor PC in May 2006.
Catherine Ashton was appointed Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Queen's Privy Council in Gordon Brown’s first Cabinet in June 2007. As well as Leader of the Lords, she held responsibility in the House of Lords for equalities issues. She also steered the Lisbon Treaty through the UK's upper chamber.
In 2008, she succeeded Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
as Commissioner for Trade
European Commissioner for Trade
The European Commissioner for Trade is the member of the European Commission responsible for the European Union's common commercial policy...
in the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
. In December 2009 she became the first person to take on the newly enlarged High Representative role for the EU as created by the Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
.
Early life
Catherine Ashton was born in UphollandUpholland
Upholland is a civil parish and village in West Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 3 miles east of Skelmersdale, also in West Lancashire, and 4½ miles west of Wigan in Greater Manchester.-Geography:...
, Lancashire on 20 March 1956. She comes from a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
family, with a background in coal mining going back generations. She attended Upholland Grammar School in Billinge Higher End
Higher End
Higher End or Billinge Higher End is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.-Governance:Billinge lies within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire...
, Lancashire, then Wigan Mining and Technical College
Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan and Leigh College is a state General Further and Higher Education College based at six locations in the towns of Wigan and Leigh in Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Currently, there are over 1,000 staff members ) and more than 23,000 students...
in Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
. Ashton graduated with a BSc in Sociology in 1977 from Bedford College, London (now part of Royal Holloway, University of London). She was the first person in her family to attend University.
Early career in the United Kingdom
Between 1977 and 1983 Ashton worked for the Campaign for Nuclear DisarmamentCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND) as an administrator and in 1982 was elected as its national treasurer and subsequently as one of its vice-chairs. From 1979 to 1981 she was Business Manager of The Coverdale Organisation, a management consultancy. As of 1983 she worked for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work was, from 1970 to 2001, the statutory authority charged with promoting education and training in social work, recognising courses and awarding qualifications throughout the United Kingdom.The CCETSW was established on 1 October 1971...
. From 1983 to 1989 she was Director of Business in the Community
Business in the Community
Business in the Community is a British business-community outreach charity promoting responsible business, CSR, corporate responsibility, and is one of the Prince's Charities of Charles, Prince of Wales....
working with business to tackle inequality, and established the Employers' Forum on Disability, Opportunity Now, and the Windsor Fellowship. For most of the 1990s, she worked as a freelance policy adviser. She chaired the Health Authority in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
from 1998 to 2001, and her children's school governing body, and became a Vice President of the National Council for One Parent Families
One Parent Families
is a registered charity which provides advice, support and campaigns for single parent families. Following a merger with One Parent Families in 2007 it was briefly known as "One Parent Families|Gingerbread" before relaunching as Gingerbread in January 2009.J. K...
.
She was made a Labour life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baroness Ashton of Upholland in 1999, at the advice of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. In June 2001 she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
in the Department for Education and Skills. In 2002 she was appointed minister for Sure Start
Sure Start
Sure Start is a UK Government initiative applying in England, originating with HM Treasury, with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development...
in the same department. In September 2004, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Constitutional Affairs
Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
, with responsibilities including the National Archives and the Public Guardianship Office
Public Guardianship Office
The Office of the Public Guardian in England and Wales is a government body that, within the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, protects the private assets and supervises the financial affairs of people who lack mental capacity for making decisions. It is an executive agency of the...
. Ashton was sworn of the Privy Council in 2006, and became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the new Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
in May 2007.
In 2005 she was voted "Minister of the Year" by The House Magazine
The House Magazine
The House Magazine is a weekly British political magazine relating to the British House of Commons. It is managed by a cross-party editorial team of MPs and overseen by a panel of senior parliamentarians....
and "Peer of the Year" by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. In 2006 she won the "Politician of the Year" award at the annual Stonewall Awards
Stonewall Awards
The Stonewall Awards is an annual event to celebrate people who have had a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT people. The event was first held in 2006 at the Royal Academy of Arts and from 2007 were held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.-2006:...
, awarded to those that have made a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people.
On 28 June 2007 the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, appointed her to the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords
Leader of the House of Lords
The Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council,...
and Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
. As Leader of the House, she was responsible for passing the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords.
EU Trade Commissioner
On 3 October 2008, she was nominated to replace Peter MandelsonPeter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
as the UK's European Commissioner in Brussels. European Commissioners may not engage in any other occupation during their term of office, whether gainful or not so, in order to take up her position, she used the procedural device previously used in 1984 by Lord Cockfield and took a leave of absence from the House of Lords on 14 October 2008, retaining her peerage but not her seat.
Her appointment as Trade Commissioner was scrutinised by the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. She was criticised by Daniel Hannan
Daniel Hannan
Daniel John Hannan is a British journalist, author and politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England for the Conservative Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists political group...
, a British Conservative MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
, saying that she had "no background in trade issues at a time when the EU is engaged in critical negotiations with Canada, Korea and the WTO". However, following her public confirmation hearing by the Trade Committee of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, Ashton was approved by the Parliament on 22 October 2008 with 538 to 40 votes, and 63 abstentions. She has since finished negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement with Korea and initialled it in October 2009.
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/ Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP)
On 19 November 2009, Ashton was appointed the EU's first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is the main co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union...
, a post that was combined with Vice-President of the European Commission. She was elected by the Heads of State and Government of the 27 European Union countries at a summit in Brussels.
Besides representing the EU at international forums and co-ordinating the Common Foreign and Security Policy
Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Common Foreign and Security Policy is the organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union for mainly security and defence diplomacy and actions. CFSP deals only with a specific part of the EU's external relations, which domains include mainly Trade and Commercial Policy and other areas...
and the Common Security and Defence Policy, the High Representative also:
• As Vice-President of the European Commission, she participates in the weekly meeting of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
.
• Participates in the meetings of the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
, where all EU leaders meet.
• Is head of the European External Action Service
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service is a European Union department that was established following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009...
• Responsible for the European Union Special Representatives
• President of the Foreign Affairs Council
• President of the European Defence Agency
European Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. All EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out of the CFSP, take part in the agency...
• Chair of the board of the European Union Institute for Security Studies
European Union Institute for Security Studies
The European Union Institute for Security Studies is a Paris-based EU agency of the Common Foreign and Security Policy . Its goals are to find a common security culture for the EU, to help develop and project the CFSP, and to enrich Europe’s strategic debate.The EUISS is an autonomous agency with...
During her term in office she and her team have given priority to a number of European and global issues. These include:
• Participation in the Quartet negotiations on the Middle East Peace Process
• Leading European negotiations with Iran over its controversial Nuclear programme
• Responding to the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
with a new European Neighbourhood Policy
European Neighbourhood Policy
The European Neighbourhood Policy is a foreign relations instrument of the European Union which seeks to tie those countries to the east and south of the EU into the EU...
(May 2011), to provide funding and market access to North Africa
• Supporting democratic forces in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
by opening an EU office in Benghazi in May 2011 and supporting the National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
• Building a European consensus to establish sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
• Strengthening relations with the EU’s Strategic Partners such as the US, Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa
• In the Balkans, forging renewed talks between Serbs and Kosovars (“Belgrade-Pristina" dialogue)
• Negotiating an upgraded status for the EU at the UN as foreseen under the Lisbon Treaty
• Establishing the European External Action Service
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service is a European Union department that was established following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009...
(1st December 2010), which merged the external relations departments of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and will have diplomats seconded from national foriegn services.
In addition Ashton has personally embraced women’s rights and has visited an orphanage on the Gaza strip several times as part of this. In September 2011 she took part in the UN’s “Women in Political Participation” event in New York.
Ashton spends a large part of her time on the Middle East and North Africa. She has received praise for her role in the Middle East Peace Process, where she finds herself at the heart of mediation .. In relation to Libya, Ashton is optimistic about the possibility of the creation of what she calls "deep democracy", meaning an independent judiciary and civil service, respect for human rights, and the right of the people to vote the government out of office . Ashton has called for the resignation of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, saying that the EU will not accept the chaos, destruction and death in response to democratic protests in the country .
Personal life
She lives in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with her husband, Peter Kellner
Peter Kellner
Peter Jon Kellner is a journalist, political commentator and President of the YouGov opinion polling organisation in the United Kingdom. He is known for his appearances on TV, especially at election times...
, the President of online polling organisation, YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
. She has two children, and three stepchildren.
She was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of East London
University of East London
The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...
in 2005.
Besides her mother tongue English, Ashton has some knowledge of French but was not fluent in any foreign language at the time of her inauguration.
Appointment
Ashton's relative obscurity caused considerable comment in the media with The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper reporting that her appointment as High Representative had received a 'cautious welcome as EU foreign minister from international relations experts'. The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
described her as being a virtual unknown with paltry political experience, having no foreign-policy background and having never been elected
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
to anything. The magazine did however credit her with having piloted the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords, having handled the European Commission's trade portfolio without falling out with her colleagues, and being suited to consensus-building.
Shami Chakrabarti
Shami Chakrabarti
Shami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:...
, the director of a pressure group called Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
, who became friends with Ashton when she was a minister at the Department of Constitutional Affairs, said her critics were wrong: "People underestimate Cathy at their peril. She is not a great big bruiser. She is a persuader and a charmer. That is the secret of her success." Her friend, Ian McCartney, MP, said on her appointment: "She is a Wigan girl who has really made good... She is supportive of working people and has never forgotten her roots." The morning after her appointment, Ashton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
: "Over the next few months and years I aim to show that I am the best person for the job. I hope that my particular set of skills will show that in the end I am the best choice."
She drew criticism, for the fact that she cannot speak any foreign languages.Britain’s High Representative is letting Europe down badly. Lady Ashton does not cut la moutarde.
Ashton has been angered by the criticism, which, according to aides, she argues is a result of the "latent sexism" within the EU community. Ashton came under further criticism, including explicit criticism from national defence ministers Hervé Morin
Hervé Morin
Hervé Morin is a French politician, leader of the New Center party and a former French Minister of Defence.-Member of National Assembly:...
, Carme Chacón
Carme Chacón
Carme Chacón Piqueras is a Spanish politician who is currently serving as Minister of Defence in the cabinet led by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. She is married and gave birth to her first child, a son named Miquel on 19 May 2008....
, Jack de Vries
Jack de Vries
Jacob Gabe "Jack" de Vries is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as State Secretary for Defence from December 18, 2007 until May 14, 2010...
, and EU minister Pierre Lellouche
Pierre Lellouche
Pierre Lellouche is a French politician and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement party. He is Secretary of State for Foreign Trade under the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde. He was also the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from November 2004 to 17...
, for her failure to attend the European Defence Summit in Majorca.
Secretary General Pierre Vimont joined those defending Ashton from criticism; praising her work in opening the EEAS office in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
as making the EEAs very popular in Libya. He also supported her over Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and has asked her to stand for a second term. Polish Minister for Europe, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, also stated criticism against Ashton was "a lot of hot air" and that "she has an impossible job to do and she is doing it well. At the end of her time in office, people will be more positive about what she has done. She will leave a real legacy."
Ashton faced questions in the European Parliament over her role as national treasurer in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
in the 1980s, amid claims by its opponents that it may have had financial links to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
has written to Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, asking him to investigate whether Ashton was party to payments that he alleged were made to CND from the Soviet regime in Moscow. Ashton’s office refused to discuss CND’s funding in detail. It merely said that she “left CND in 1983 and had no involvement after that”.
External links
- EU Vice President Catherine Ashton, Official Media Gallery
- HR website as Vice President of the European Commission for External Relations
- HR website in the Council of the European Union
- Biography from the Department for Constitutional Affairs
- Announcement of her introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 10 October 1999
- BBC News (19 November 2009): A profile of EU Foreign Minister Cathy Ashton