![Foreign policy: Struggle for coherence remains intense in diplomatic relations Foreign policy: Struggle for coherence remains intense in diplomatic relations](https://www.cer.eu/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight/public/images/spotlight/in_the_press/2013/aung_sansuukyi_ashton_lect_sl-1368094714.jpg?itok=21nWQKZi)
Foreign policy: Struggle for coherence remains intense in diplomatic relations
"It was an undoubted success," says Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform (CER), a London-based think-tank. "It shows that forging a relationship with the EU still has a lot of attractions for its neighbours. Catherine Ashton's patient approach certainly paid off."
Mr Bond of the CER sees the problem in broader terms. "The EU has a lot of instruments – the EEAS, trade policy, the aid budget, the civilian crisis management side – but it has not worked out how to get them playing in a harmonious way."