Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, presented today in Brussels new proposals on the shape of the European External Action Service. In this connection Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued today (25 March) in Berlin the following statement:

”I am pleased the High Representative is pressing ahead in the important matter of the European External Action Service. Her proposals contain much that we and other member states have repeatedly called for. Nevertheless, we see a need for further discussions.

We want the European Union to speak with one voice on the world stage. That means the European External Action Service has to have the financial and human resources necessary to do the job. From the start its competences and responsibilities must be clearly defined.

We need a European External Action Service that can function effectively, we do not need any institutional structures in Brussels that duplicate each other. This is what we will be seeking to ensure in further deliberations with the European Commission and the European Parliament.“