Brussels, 22/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign ministers and their European affairs colleagues held a joint meeting, in Brussels on Monday 22 March, with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, to discuss the new European External Action Service (EEAS). Ashton plans to present a proposal on the Service in the coming days (25 March has been mentioned as a likely date). “A lot of progress has been made. Some details need to be sorted out, but we are nearing the endgame” in preparations for the EEAS, Ashton told press on Monday, after the meeting. On Tuesday 23 March, she will address the EP foreign affairs committee. The aim is to hear MEPs' “final thoughts” before she presents her proposal “within the next week”. On Monday, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger argued, in similar fashion to his German colleague Guido Westerwelle, for German to be the working language of the new European diplomatic corps. (H.B./transl.rt)