This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Part of UK in Sweden

30th May 2013

TALKING EUROPE: FUN(NY) WAY TO SPEND A BIRTHDAY

I turned 45 yesterday and had planned a quiet day with my lovely wife and visiting mother.

But when Patrick Sommerlath of Nobile invited me to debate the future of Europe with CNN’s Richard Quest, Ericsson’s CEO Hans Vestberg and Elizabeth Thand Ringqvist of Företagarna, with Per Schlingmann as moderator, I cast aside thoughts of an evening game of scrabble with the Mrs Johnstons and headed to the Absolut Atelier!

I majored on the big challenges facing Europe, as set out in David Cameron’s Bloomberg speech in  January:

  • Competitiveness: Europe is 7% of the world’s economy, 22% of its population, but accounts for 50% of its social spending. How do we compete in what the PM calls the global race without losing what makes European societies good to live in?
  • Sorting the Eurozone: how to allow for integration among the members of the single currency project in such a way as preserves the EU’s Single Market, as the driver of growth and jobs for all the citizens of all the member states?
  •  Democratic accountability: how to close the dangerous gap between the European institutions and people in the member states, including through developing the role of national parliaments and the role of elected Ministers in the Council?

We had a good debate, and as always I was encouraged to find that the UK analysis attracted a lot of support and understanding from a Swedish audience.

The task for all Europe’s leaders now is to work on the solutions…Britain’s keen to engaged in a reform process to develop an economically liberal outward facing EU, equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century world.

Paul

Paul Johnston

Follow me on twitter: @hmapauljohnston

About Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially. He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide…

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially.

He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide range of political and security roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Paul joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993 as Desk Officer for Bosnia. As part of this role he was also Private Secretary to EU negotiator Lord Owen and his representative on Bosnia Contact Group.

His first foreign posting was to Paris in 1995-99 as Second Secretary Political. He was Private Secretary to the Ambassador and latterly part of the UK delegation to the Kosovo Rambouillet negotiations. Then he returned to London as Head of the Kosovo Policy Team, leading work on post-conflict policy in the EU, NATO, UN and G8.

Before his second overseas posting to New York in 2005, Paul held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London, such as Head of European Defence Section between 2000-01 and Head of Security Policy Department between 2002-04.

As Head of the Political Section in UKMIS New York, he advised on major policy issues for the UK on the Security Council and the UN World Summit, including the UK EU Presidency in 2005.

Paul returned to London in 2008 as Director, International Security for the FCO. He was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European Security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance.

Paul was British Ambassador to Sweden from August 2011 to August 2015 and then was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.

He was UK Ambassador to the EU for Political and Security affairs from 2017 to January 2020 and became Ambassador to Ireland in September 2020.

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