About: EEAS Archives

Serbia has rejected a European Union-brokered plan to tackle the ethnic partition of its former province Kosovo, a move that could hurt Belgrade's hopes of starting membership talks with the bloc.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikoli? said that the government would take a stand today (8 April) on the failed Kosovo talks, and that the majority of parties with representatives in Parliament were expected to support it. BETA, the EURACTIV partner agency in Serbia reports.

Crunch talks aimed at ending the ethnic partition of Serbia's former Kosovo province broke up without result early this morning (3 April), in a major setback for Serbia's hopes of starting EU membership negotiations this year.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said yesterday (18 March) she would step down when her term expires at the end of 2014, BBC reported. Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who was appointed for the top job together with Ashton in November 2009, also announced that he would retire from politics.

At a time when pressure is coming on the UN to find solutions to the global issues such as Syria and Iran - and to reform of itself - the EU's UN ambassador explains how the EU is playing its part.

The occupied Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the wake of war with Russia in August 2008 should not be considered as a "frozen conflict," Giorgi Baramidze, vice-prime minister of Georgia responsible for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Georgia wants the European Union to help it solve its conflict with Moscow over the "occupied territories" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the country's vice-prime minister, Giorgi Baramidze, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Officials at the International Francophony Organisation (OIF) have warned of "catastrophic" use of French in EU institutions, as the language's position in Brussels becomes ever more fragile, a conference heard last week (31 March).

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?

Europe should provide long-term assistance for the democratic and economic development of the southern Mediterranean's post-dictatorship governments, argues German Green politician Joschka Fischer, a former foreign minister and vice-chancellor.

The European Union expressed both criticism and hope for renewed cooperation with Israel at a meeting on Tuesday (22 February) of the EU-Israel Association Council.

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)..

The European External Action Service (EEAS) can provide a more coherent, visible and effective EU foreign policy but faces problems such as low morale among personnel, friction with the European Commission and disputes over EU representation in international organisations, writes Graham Avery, senior advisor at the European Policy Centre (EPC).

The leaked 'Palestine Papers' on concessions offered to Israel show the failure of the US as principal mediator and give the EU an opportunity to step up its role in peace talks, argues Spyros Danellis MEP, a member of the European Parliament's Palestine delegation, in an opinion piece sent exclusively to EURACTIV.

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.

The European Parliament has welcomed a draft compromise proposal by the European Commission on next year's EU budget, signalling that a deal is getting closer ahead of an EU summit on 16-17 December.

The European External Action Service is "one of the most important institutional reforms provided for by the Treaty of Lisbon" and should bring together "fragmented EU structures" to ensure that Europe speaks more often with one voice, writes German Green MEP Franziska Brantner in an exclusive commentary for 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.

A consensus is emerging among the EU institutions to reject Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ambassadors-designate to the European Union, after the country's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, called on the bloc not to recognise Mugabe's unilateral appointment.

Felipe González, chairman of the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe, warned yesterday (4 October) that the EU should honour commitments made to Turkey, which ten years ago was given the prospect of European Union membership.

Turkey and Ukraine should seek to obtain a status with the EU similar to the one Norway has at present, becoming fully associated members of the internal market and the Schengen border-free area, Elmar Brok, a leading MEP, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

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.