European diplomats loyal to the post

(BRUXELLES2, exclusive) This is an unknown aspect of the new European diplomatic service. But there is today in the "embassies" of the European Union, the creation of a mentality of crisis management, rather unprecedented in the European organization until now (except among ECHO experts - the humanitarian aid office). In the event of a crisis, natural or industrial disaster, unrest or war, the objective is now for the European embassy to remain open for a minimum. A real change of "mentalities" as explained in Brussels2 by a senior EEAS official. " In the event of a crisis, we now ask our ambassadors to stay on the ground as much as possible, as we can ask in a Member State with a national diplomat. They accept most of the time without problem »

A regulation inherited from the past

Only problem: the staff regulations do not provide for it. Better, it provides the opposite. Inherited from the Commission, it obliges the institution to ensure the protection of its agents and recommends more sheltering at the slightest event. Previously, " the instruction was "when there was trouble or conflict, leave" “says our interlocutor. " Troubled times are never good for trading or carrying out development projects. Today we say, and ask, the opposite »

The voluntarism of EU ambassadors

This happened in Côte d'Ivoire, where the ambassador stayed as long as possible, or, more recently in Yemen, not without real risks. There have been " very difficult times » tells a diplomat to B2, with « shooting for several days around the mission”. In Japan, after the Fukushima disaster, and when we didn't really know what was happening in terms of radiation, there was a " wind of panic in diplomatic representations. " Many embassies were procrastinating to stay in the capital and some were considering or had even already packed up to go to Kyoto. The European ambassador remained on the spot and federated the European ambassadors to stay on the spot ". A presence felt very positively by the country's authorities: the EU scored a point at this time in Japan.

Some difficulties

This attitude will not give rise to any criticisms and difficulties. At the Commission, some demanded that those responsible for the EEAS " engage personally if there was the slightest problem on the ground. And even at the European diplomatic service, we want to remain quite discreet about the sometimes dangerous conditions in which the new look European diplomats evolve "to avoid any problem" with those opposite... 🙂

NB: It should also be specified that the EEAS did not have until now the possibility of having its own internal rules... Because it simply did not have a negotiating body for this. staff committee. After many internal discussions, a staff committee was elected (discussions had taken place to know whether two committees were needed - one for headquarters and one for delegations - or just one, it was this last solution that finally prevailed). The elections took place at the end of last year. And the first meeting is scheduled these days. As one specialist in his questions at the EEAS puts it, “ we will now be able to start putting in place our own staff regulations. Which should make it easier for us ».