Jana Hybášková is the newly-appointed EU Head of Delegation to Iraq. She is taking up her duties on 1 May. For this reason, she was invited to an "in camera" meeting with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee at EP and she stated that EU should be a key partner of Iraq.

To the newly-appointed EU Head of Delegation, EU have to empower the democratically elected Iraqi parliament and support democratic control. For her, it is of the utmost importance fostering European values, support democracy and show why democracy is important.

Jana Hybášková is a former Czech ambassador and MEP Jana Hybášková. She has therefore hands-on experience about how the Parliament works, and it will help foster the dialogue with MPs. On the other hand, she recognised that the political situation in Iraq remains precarious because some key ministerial positions are not filled yet.

With regard to the new created European External Action Service, Ms. Hybášková highlighted that it provides a new framework for foreign policy. The EP can also play an important role. Most importantly, it has an influence on the budgetary situation as it controls the budget. This way it can also play a role in shaping the financial instruments that the EU uses in its external actions.