BRUSSELS (EJP)--- Germany’s former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on the EU to rediscover its soul and gather new momentum to face international challenges.

Speaking on Tuesday in Brussels at an event organized by the World Jewish Congress, he said that Europe did not play the role it should in conflicts such as the one in the Middle East.

“Where was the European voice at the Annapolis conference last month?,” he asked.

He also called on the EU to act decisively on matters such as the Iranian nuclear program.

“We must not allow a nuclear arms race in the Middle East on top of all the other problems that exist there,” Fischer said.

He called for a non-military approach including UN-backed sanctions against Iran.

Joschka Fischer was German Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor in the government of Gerhard Schroeder from 1998 to 2005. He was also a leading figure in the German Green Party.

He is today a member of the World Jewish Congress Policy Council.

European Union leaders gather in Brussels on Friday for their summit meeting under Portuguese presidency.