Common foreign policy strategy is crafted by the European Union on a lowest common denominator basis that lacks credibility, effectiveness and meaning, according to a candid internal critique.
In a confidential report to the 15 member states, obtained on Monday, EU foreign and security policy chief Mr Javier Solana said the Union should stop producing smooth, declaratory texts well-suited for public diplomacy purposes.
"The common strategies adopted so far (on Russia, Ukraine, Balkans, Mediterranean) have not yet contributed to a stronger and more effective EU in international affairs," Mr Solana wrote.
"If shortcomings are not corrected, we will widen even further the gap between their poor effectiveness on the one hand and on the other hand the high expectations they raise."
Mr Solana said the EU had made the mistake of publishing common strategies on well-worn themes for which broad-based policies already existed, raising the question: what was the point?
Acknowledging the scepticism with which EU foreign policy pronouncements are sometimes greeted, he said this method had put the common strategy programme to a very public test, the risk of which might have been reduced by choosing less ambitious and less well-worn themes.
Reuters