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The message that we are sending to our businesses and our citizens is that we are working together in these difficult times
EU-China trade talks end May 08, 2009
I hope that the Thai nation will look ahead and seek a pragmatic solution
EU calls for action in Thailand May 21, 2010
It is now critical for both sides to return to dialogue, and to resolve the underlying issues without delay
Officer dies in border violence Jul 28, 2011
China's restrictions on raw materials continue to distort competition and increase global prices, making conditions for our companies even more difficult in this economic climate
EU asks WTO to join China materials spat Nov 05, 2009
The EU will continue to provide its political and technical support to this process and stands ready to help implementing the steps agreed between the two countries
Turkey-Armenia accord concerns Europe Apr 27, 2010
Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, PC (born 20 March 1956) is a British politician belonging to the Labour Party who has been the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) since 1 December 2009 when the post was created. She is also the First-Vice-President of the European Commission (since February 2010). She prefers to be known as Cathy Ashton.
A British Labour politician, Ashton was made a life peer in 1999 by the Labour government and held junior ministerial appointments in three government departments. She was later appointed Leader of the House of Lords and, in that role, was instrumental in steering the Treaty of Lisbon through Britain's Upper House. 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.
Catherine Ashton was born in Upholland, Lancashire on 20 March 1956. Her father, Harold, was a civil engineer and came 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 woman in her family to attend a university.