Brussels, 28/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a letter addressed to Catherine Ashton in mid January, the German Green member, Franziska Brantner, and three other members of the foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament, belonging to the EPP, S&D and ALDE groups, asked HR/VP Ashton to delay her decision to create the Crisis Management Planning Directorate (CMPD) by merging the current directorates for defence planning and civilian crisis management. The four MEPs underline that such a merger would have the effect of entrusting the planning of ESDP missions (of which 75% are of a civilian kind) to a structure composed mainly of specialists in military issues (18 out of a total of 23 persons). They ask for the decision to be reviewed as part of establishing the European External Action Service in order to ensure a balanced composition using personnel from the Council's secretariat general and from the Commission. (O.J./transl.jl)