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Blog AnalysisEEAS High Representative

First fairly consensual debate on the financial regulations of the Diplomatic Service

(BRUSSELS2) On 2nd September the members of the "Foreign Affairs" committee held a debate on the financial regulations for the diplomatic service (1). The positions are not so far removed from those of the High Representative, as noted by Christoffersen, the High Representative's special adviser on this file.

MEPs put forward three amendments which they highlighted as particularly important: the establishment each year of a forecast of its resources and expenditure (amendment 7); a working document from the European Commission presenting all administrative and operational expenditure relating to EU external action (amendment 8); the creation of a Directorate General for Budget and Administration within the EEAS (amendment 9). All points which do not give rise to difficulties for Christoffersen (in particular for amendment 8). And they respect the framework of agreement concluded between the 3 institutions in July, he estimated.

One budget line per PeSDC mission: the debate is open

A subject that lends itself to discussion, however, is the demand of the committee's rapporteur, the Italian Gualtieri, for a new structure for the CFSP budget, with a budget line for each mission... Christoffersen could live with it. But this opinion is not shared at the Commission. It can thus be noted that during a debate on another subject - the CFSP 2011 budget - the Commission representative strongly opposed this idea, supported at the time by Green MEP F. Brantner, of having a "budget line for every EU CSDP mission or operation" - which comes down to the Gualtieri proposal. Argument of the Commission: "it would not increase transparency"...

Permit me to doubt this last assertion. A budget line per mission would, on the contrary, facilitate the task of everyone, and first and foremost of the parliamentarians in charge of monitoring the European budget.

(1) The Committee on Foreign Affairs is seized only for opinion, the vote in committee (Budget) is scheduled for 28 September and the vote in plenary for 19 October.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Download the Parliament's draft report

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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