Tag: European External Action Service

The Lisbon Treaty introduced a major institutional innovation in the field of external relations by creating a common diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS). During the past 20 months this service has progressively been set up. With some 3,000 officials and an annual budget of around €500 million, it is still small but unique in its talents and language skills.

In the case of Syria, European policymakers should draw lessons from the last Libyan intervention and aim at a strong collective security framework under the aegis of the EU, writes Giles Merritt from Security & Defence Agenda.

The European Union expects to reach a decision by the end of January on expanding sanctions against Iran, an EU spokesman said amid new threats from Iran to test-fire long-range missiles.

A growing number of international institutions and agreements are attempting to tackle the world's major challenges: economic, environmental or security. What is the EU's role in this emerging world order?

The newly-formed European External Action Service is at risk of falling short of its promises if negotiations on the EU budget post-2013 do not manage to increase the European Union’s financial means, said MEPs yesterday (10 February)..

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has completed the appointments for 28 top officials at the European External Action Service, with only two women appearing on the list, according to a document seen by EurActiv.

EU finance ministers failed to reach a compromise with the European Parliament over the 2011 budget yesterday night (11 November). If they fail to find a mutually acceptable solution by Monday, the 2010 budget will roll over to 2011, raising questions as to how the European Union will finance ambitious new projects such as the European External Action Service.

In the presence of a smiling Catherine Ashton, the European Parliament yesterday (20 October) approved by an overwhelming majority the last three legislative texts required to launch the European External Action Service (EEAS) on 1 December 2010, the day of the first anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) can be set up only if the European Parliament approves the staff and financial legal base based on the presence of at least 60% "Community personnel" in the new diplomatic corps, German MEP Elmar Brok (European People's Party) told EurActiv in an interview.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton unveiled a list of 28 ambassadors yesterday (15 September) who will be charged with representing the EU's interests abroad. Only twelve were selected from national administrations, while sixteen come from the European Commission.

Poland appears to have changed its policy of unconditional support for Georgia against Russian intimidation, a recent interview given by the country's president suggests. Warsaw has also reportedly abandoned hope of securing the position of EU Ambassador to Tbilisi, the Polish press reports.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is to become official after the summer recess and start recruiting in autumn, it became clear after a key European Parliament committee gave its green light yesterday (6 July) to the EU's diplomatic service.

The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Spanish EU Presidency yesterday (21 June) reached a compromise in Madrid regarding the organisation and operation of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The EU institutions expect the Union's diplomatic service to become operational in the autumn.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) plans to achieve an inter-institutional balance by filling member states' quotas by 2013, Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission vice-president responsible for inter-institutional relations and administration, told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

The European Union must quickly push ahead with forming its own diplomatic service or it risks falling behind the likes of China and India in the world order, top diplomats warned yesterday (26 April) after EU ministers reached "political agreement" on European External Action Service (EEAS), which still awaits MEPs' green light.

With the clock ticking ahead of a 30 April deadline to reach agreement on the European External Action Service (EEAS), the leaders of the European Parliament's three largest political groups warned against putting the future diplomatic corps under the thumb of EU member states.

There will be procedures for recruiting staff at all levels of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and diplomats will not simply be catapulted in from capitals, João Vale de Almeida, director-general for external relations at the European Commission, told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

Despite opposition from the European Parliament, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton unveiled on 25 March a proposal that puts a French-style secretary-general and two deputies at the centre of the EU's future diplomatic service.

Prime ministers from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary – the so-called Visegrad group – are meeting this morning (25 March) ahead of a two-day EU summit in Brussels to hammer out common positions on the EU's future diplomatic service and economic issues.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, will unveil her long-awaited proposal for setting up the European External Action Service during the course of the week.

Introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, the European External Action Service (EEAS) is intended to give the European Union a greater role in foreign policy. It is now operational, though its scope and competences have been the subject of fierce debate among EU countries.