25 April 2023
On Tuesday 25th April, Jessica hosted an in-conversation event in the House of Lords with Baroness Catherine Ashton. Cathy was the first EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2009-2014.
During this time Cathy set up the EU External Action Service, led negotiations on the Iran Nuclear Deal, held peace talks between the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo and dealt with conflict and natural disasters as the face of the EU in Haiti, Japan, Libya, Somalia and Ukraine.
Her new book, And Then What? chronicles her time in the role and was the subject of the in-conversation.
She spoke candidly about her reasons for writing the book, the lessons she learned about leading complex negotiations, the challenge of the role and her interactions with world leaders including Putin and Mohammed Morsi. She
Throughout the book, and during the in-conversation, she spoke passionately about the importance of diplomacy and the need to protect deep democracy. She also reflected on her position as the first woman in the role and the first and only Brit to hold the role.
Buy the book here: Catherine Ashton, And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy.