Friday

29th Mar 2024

EU capitals defend Ashton's powers in diplomatic corps

  • Catherine Ashton is expected to present her final EEAS proposal by the end of March (Photo: ec.europa.eu)

EU capitals are calling for more money and clearer powers for the head of the bloc's diplomatic corps, as foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday (22 March) to review plans for the new institution.

An internal paper drafted by the Spanish EU presidency on Friday set out "the main lines of convergence shared by a great majority of delegations" following three months of debate.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The text strikes a blow against the European Commission by saying the European External Action Service (EEAS) should make the big decisions on how to spend the executive's €6 billion a year development budget.

"[Member states are] in favour of the EEAS leading on the two first stages of programming (country allocation and country strategy papers) and the commission leading on the third and subsequent stages (national indicative programmes, annual action programmes and implementation)," it says.

The paper also calls for the commission to stay out of EEAS head Catherine Ashton's management of foreign embassies.

EU officials and EU diplomats should sit alongside her people on job interview panels for senior posts. But the final say on appointments should be left up to her, it says: "The High Representative will be the sole appointing authority (AIPN) for EEAS staff, including in the EU delegations."

"[Member states] insisted on the fact that the chain of command should be clear and straightforward. Instructions to delegations should come through the High Representative," it adds.

The commission had said that decisions on top appointments should include the college of commissioners and that EU ambassadors should also take orders from the executive on the grounds that they are responsible for implementing commission programmes on top of their diplomatic duties.

Member states conceded that existing commission staff will fill the bulk of EEAS posts in its start-up phase, however. The target of having one third of posts filled by member states' diplomats is to be left until the service "has reached its full capacity," the Spanish paper says.

EU states also "converged" on having the service run by a powerful secretary general, on the model of the French foreign ministry, despite some German concerns about the structure.

The institutional power struggle comes after the Lisbon Treaty last year mandated the creation of the corps, but left out details on how it should work in practice.

The commission moved early on planning by creating working groups back in autumn 2009. EU officials also took up nine out of the 13 places on a "steering group" designed to help Ms Ashton draw up her EEAS proposal, due in the coming days.

The steering group has been sidelined by EU states, however. It met just three times as of mid-March, compared to nine EEAS discussions at member state-level.

Meanwhile, suspicion abounds inside the Brussels bubble.

A commission suggestion, put forward last Thursday, that the corps should have just 851 senior staff, is seen by some as an attempt to ensure that battalions of commission trade or development officials work in the EU's foreign delegations. "The number is rather lower than expected," one EU diplomat said.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us