A new structure for the EU diplomatic service

(BRUSSELS2) After a week of discussions between ambassadors and before the Council of Foreign Ministers, on April 26 in Luxembourg, which must define a common position - 2nd important stage in the birth of the European diplomatic service - an alternative idea to the first proposal by Cathy Ashton, the EU's chief diplomat (1), has emerged and could be formalized soon.

The management structure of the European External Action Service would thus be less vertical, more horizontal. Instead of a general secretary and deputy secretaries and then general managers, there would be several "secretaries general" (whose name is to be defined), with more or less specific responsibilities: one more political, or diplomatic, the other more in charge of security issues, the third of the administration (if there is a third).

This new proposal could be put on the table, before the Council, and would make it possible to satisfy one of the requirements of the European Parliament (2), which wishes to have a political referent in place of Cathy Asthon if the latter is prevented, as well as of several Member States who fear that the Secretary General - who is too strong - is overshadowing the High Representative.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(1) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

(2) The European Parliament is only consulted on the decision creating the EEAS but it has the power of co-decision on both budgetary and personnel decisions