Several countries argue that there is a lot of overlapping functions and a lack of coordination between the European External Action Service, national foreign ministries and the external relations directorates of the Commission and the Council
France and Germany are discussing proposals for a reformulation of the European Union’s (EU) diplomatic service to improve the bloc’s response to geopolitical crises, reports this Thursday.
Paris, Berlin and other capitals are considering options that include stripping powers from EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas and her €1 billion-a-year European External Action Service (EEAS) and returning them to the European Commission and member states, the FT reported, citing five senior officials familiar with the discussions.
“It is clear that [o SEAE] It doesn’t work as it should in today’s world. It’s dysfunctional,” one of the sources told the FT. “The problem is structural and, therefore, the structure needs to be rebuilt.”
One of the ideas proposed by Paris is to limit the autonomy of the head of the diplomatic service — currently a dual position, answering to Member States and the Commission — and reduce her control over the network of more than 140 delegations that the EEAS operates in countries around the world.
Proponents of restructuring the diplomatic service, which was created 15 years ago, believe this is feasible without changing the EU Treaty, which stipulates that the EEAS must “assist” the head of the diplomatic service, under terms agreed by Member States and dated 2010. Any changes to these terms would require the unanimous support of the 27 EU Member States.
Several countries argue that there is a lot of overlapping functions and a lack of coordination between the EEAS, national foreign ministries and the external relations directorates of the Commission and the Council.
