The deal was reached after a meeting that lasted more than three hours between the different parties involved in the future European diplomatic service at the Palacio de Viana in Madrid. Among those taking part in the meeting were the head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos, on behalf of the rotating EU presidency, the European commissioner for inter-institutional relations and administration, Maroš Šefčovič, and three members of the European Parliament – ALDE group leader Guy Vehofstadt (Belgium), Elmar Brok (European People's Party; Germany) and Roberto Gualtieri (Socialists & Democrats; Italy).
"We are very satisfied with this agreement, as it removes all obstacles," Spanish Secretary of State for EU Affairs Diego López Garrido is quoted by the website of the Spanish Presidency as saying.
"On the whole, Parliament's requests have been fulfilled," Italian S&D member Roberto Gualtieri, one of the MEPs involved in the negotiations, told German press agency DPA.
The agreement reached in Madrid will be further analysed by all parties to allow the Council to take the formal decision to implement the service as soon as possible. The decision is expected to be made this autumn.
Those present in Madrid undertook to secure the support of their institutions with the aim of formally adopting as soon as possible the Council's decision, which will establish the organisation and operation of the EEAS.
They also committed to work constructively to deal with unresolved issues, in particular the financial regulation and regulation regarding personnel and other parties serving the EU institutions.
Spanish joy, Belgian regret
With some regret, the Belgian press wrote that Spain had succeeded in securing the EEAS setup. As discussions had taken a difficult turn in recent weeks (EurActiv 11/06/10), Belgium had hoped to broker the deal during its term, which starts on 1 July.
The agreement reportedly became possible after MEPs obtained reassurances on several key texts, including the role of the European Parliament with respect to the EEAS. MEPs will have a say over a large portion of the service's finances, and must be informed in advance of strategic and policy decisions.
At least 60% of EEAS staff will be permanent EU officials rather than national diplomats, as MEPs had insisted, in an effort to ensure a more communitarian character for the Union's diplomatic service.
Too many deputies?
Ashton apparently accepted the Parliament's view that her deputies should be the foreign minister of the country holding the rotating EU presidency, and for the communitarian area of the service's activity, the relevant commissioners.
These are Štefan Füle, the Czech commissioner for enlargement, Andris Piebalgs, his Latvian colleague responsible for development, and Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian commissioner for humanitarian aid (EurActiv 15/03/10).
But the compromise reportedly also foresees that Ashton would keep three high-level positions of 'secretary-general'. The current French ambassador to Washington, Pierre Vimont, is expected to be 'primus inter pares', occupying the post of "executive secretary general".
Polish European Affairs Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz and Germany’s Helga Schmid would complete the triumvirate.
The institutions hope the Parliament will give its formal green light to the EEAS at its 5-8 July Strasbourg session and that the service will become operational by autumn.
