European External Action Service
European External Action Service to support a future European Foreign Minister
More coherence has to be injected into the EU’s foreign policy. For this very reason, the draft constitutional treaty provides for the creation of a European Foreign Minister to hold both the position of the High Representative of the Council (currently Javier Solana) and the Commissioner for External Relations (currently Benita Ferrero-Waldner), a so-called double hat. The European Foreign Minister is to be supported by a European External Action Service made up of staff from the Commission, the Council Secretariat and the diplomatic services of the member states.
Developing European Foreign Policy
Regardless of the delay in the ratification process caused by the negative outcome of the referenda in France and the Netherlands, work on further developing European foreign policy will continue. It all began decades ago with European Political Cooperation. Even today, all advocate increased coherence in EU foreign policy. Polls show time and again that most citizens in all EU countries support this. Therefore, sooner or later, a European External Action Service is inevitable. Initial discussions have shown that there is agreement even now amongst the member states on many fundamental questions.
Establishing European External Action Service
When it comes to establishing the European External Action Service, we are following an approach that derives the tasks and role of the Service from the tasks of the future EU Foreign Minister. The discussion to identify these precise tasks is ongoing. Establishing an External Action Service combining the foreign-policy spheres of the Commission and the Council is to avoid duplication and make foreign policy more efficient and effective. The role of the Delegations of the European Commission is also to be bolstered. Almost 5,000 people, of which about a fifth are Commission staff, are currently representing the EU in third countries and in international organizations such as the WTO, the UN and the OSCE. While these delegations have to date been mainly dealing with development aid on the ground, they will then increasingly take on traditional embassy tasks. This is especially true of the sphere of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). For us, it is important that we have balance (also in terms of numbers) and equal opportunities for staff from the member states, the Commission and the Council Secretariat. The member states must be represented in suitable numbers and at all levels of an External Action Service if it is to be accepted and supported by the member states.
Current challenges
To improve the coherence of EU foreign policy (which will only be possible in the medium term through an External Action Service), we should even now seek ways to improve coordination and increase cooperation on the basis of the existing treaties. In spheres where policy has been communitarized, for example development aid (a sphere where the Commission is particularly influential), policy has to be better coordinated with the Common Foreign and Security Policy (where the member states dominate) and at an early stage geared to the EU’s foreign-policy objectives. In turn, we want to take suitable steps to increase integration within the CFSP, for whom the High Representative remains the central figure. The debate on these issues should be fleshed out in the coming months. Only if the EU speaks with one voice can it expect to be listened to and taken seriously.
Last updated 17.02.2006