A relief. The agreement between the Parliament, Council and European Commission on the European diplomatic service provides us with some real relief. The EU will finally have the instrument that will enable it to gradually put into practice, step-by-step, the age-old dream of common foreign policy. The most detailed and objective account of this result was published in EUROPE 10165 and completed the following day with the publication of the texts in our Europe/Documents series. Our report did not attempt to conceal the apparent contradiction between the assessment made by Guy Verhofstadt, underlining the enormous difference between the initial draft of Ms Ashton and the final result, and the affirmation from sources close to Ms Ashton stating that the final text is not very different from the initial draft. Everyone is happy, what could be better than that? In principle, this means that the compromise reached is a good one and that it ought to work.
Fears assuaged. The essential task consisted of overcoming the fears expressed by Parliament. The latter wanted to ensure that the European External Action Service (EEAS) is accountable to the institutions and Community mechanisms, and that it does not work as an entirely intergovernmental body to the detriment of the services of the European Commission and the EP itself. This objective has been reached because: (a) the EEAS will consist of at least 60% of Community civil servants and national diplomats attached to the service, who will have the possibility of becoming permanent European officials, if they so wish; (b) services responsible for the management and spending controls, currently ensured by the Commission, will be maintained (in the areas of development aid, neighbourhood policy, humanitarian aid etc). The commissioners responsible for the sectors concerned will remain completely responsible for their respective remits. Given that in practice the Commission is a collegiate body, no commissioner will be responsible for important decisions on their own. It is obvious that the college will maintain its prerogatives (Ms Ashton is, after all, the vice-president).
The budgetary aspects linked to the way in which the EEAS functions are quite complex and have now been defined.
Acknowledged autonomy. The Parliament has abandoned the demand, which, in its initial position, was impossible to obtain - namely, that the EEAS should be a Commission-controlled body. The EEAS will be able to discuss all aspects of foreign policy; its competencies go beyond economic domains and other areas falling within the remit of the Union, and now also cover the domains in which the Commission does not have exclusive and explicit competency and which continue to depend largely on the member states. I will, almost at random, cite a few examples: previously, participation in the war in Iraq; currently, recognition of Kosovo's autonomy or participation in the war in Afghanistan. In the future it could concern Turkey's or another candidate country's request for accession. If we want member states to become accustomed to discussing such questions together, in view of coordinating their positions, the EEAS cannot be a Commission body, it has to be autonomous because perspectives for a common foreign policy demand it.
Gradual evolution. The Parliament has managed, to its great merit, to ensure that there is no ambiguity about the EEAS' Community identity, whilst entirely respecting the balance between its European nature and the current political situation regarding European construction. This column will continue to underline the affirmation made by Mr Van Rompuy, according to which, common foreign policy does not yet exist: the EEAS is the instrument required for making this common foreign policy gradually become a reality, subject by subject. Member states will, to this effect, have to modify their positions and behaviour. We only need to refer to relations with Russia in the energy arena, or the subject of Turkish accession, to highlight this. Elmar Brock has also emphasised that the EEAS will decide on nothing - it will prepare decisions that will be made by the institutions. Roberto Gualtieri has highlighted the fact the provisions approved pave the way towards a genuine, common foreign policy.
Forthcoming appointments. As soon as the European Parliament and the other institutions formally give their verdicts (which is expected to happen next month) and the texts for application have been updated, the project for making the EEAS operational will immediately begin, in accordance with the modalities described in the second part of the articles published in EUROPE 10165 and mentioned above. Forecasts and expectations regarding the figures who will be nominated at the head of the service, suggest Pierre Vimont, France's ambassador in Washington, for the post of executive secretary general, and Mikolaij Dowgielewicz from Poland and Helga Schimd from Germany as deputy secretary generals. In principle, nominations will be made next month by the foreign ministries meeting under the presidency of Catherine Ashton. A new phase in European construction is beginning. (F.R./transl.fl)