Brussels, 22/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - Since 1 January, all 136 representations of the European Commission in the world have now become external delegations of the EU placed directly under the responsibility of the high representative and destined in time to take on duties hitherto carried out by ambassadors of the member state holding the rotating EU residency. In a note addressed to these delegations, and on the basis of preparatory work within Coreper concerning the future European External Action Service and in agreement with the Spanish EU Presidency, Catherine Ashton entrusted 57 heads of delegation with responsibilities relating to representation, coordination and negotiation on behalf of the EU. This list does not include European delegations whose size is deemed insufficient, those who are currently headed by a caretaker head of mission, and those from countries with which the EU will be holding a bilateral summit under Spanish Presidency. In all such cases, coordination remains assured during this transition phase by the representation of Spain or by one of the other countries of the presidential trio, when Spain is not represented there.
Among the 57 external delegations, eight are in Europe (Armenia, Georgia, FYROM, Moldova, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine), 12 are in Asia (Afghanistan, Australia, China, East Timor, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua-New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam), and the remainder are in Africa (Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Malawi, Madagascar, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and the delegation with the African Union). This list will be gradually extended. (A.By./transl.jl)