Brussels, 15/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 15 September, Catherine Ashton revealed the names of the new heads of delegation of the Union in 29 third countries, including a number of key posts, such as Beijing (for the German Markus Ederer), Tokyo (the Austrian Hans Dietmar Schweisgut), Islamabad (the Swede Lars-Gunnar Wigemark) and Pretoria (Roeland Van de Geer of the Netherlands). Three major posts (that of deputy head in Washington and those of the delegation heads in Brasilia and Baghdad) will be re-advertised. These appointments, the first made by the high representative in her capacity as head of the future European External Action Service (EEAS), are part of the 2010 annual rotation of the heads of delegation, which will henceforth be part of the EEAS. Until the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, it was the responsibility of the Commission to appoint the staff of these delegations throughout the world, which have now become “EU delegations”. Only four posts are going to applicants from the “new” member states: two Poles (Joanna Wronecka to Amman and Tomasz Kozlowski to Seoul), one Lithuanian (Vygaudas Usackas to Kabul) and one Bulgarian (Philip Dimitrov to Tbilissi). Seven of the 29 people chosen are women: Joanna Wronecka (Poland, Amman), Dominique Dellicour (Belgium, Dakar), Cristina Martins Barreira (Portugal, Libreville), Lut Fabert-Goossens (Luxembourg, Port au Prince), Angelina Eichhorst (Netherlands, Beirut), Helene Cave (France, N'Djamena) and Carmen Cano de Lasala (Spain, deputy head of delegation to Beijing). Speaking before the press, Ashton stressed that her choices had been informed by the desire to appoint “the best people for the right jobs”. As regards a geographical and gender balance, the situation is better than before but not yet satisfactory, the high representative acknowledged. “These appointments show an improvement in both but there is more to do”, she said, stressing that this is a “process” which will take time. Ashton will announce the names of the most senior staff members of the EEAS such as the executive secretary general and his or her two deputies) once the European Parliament has given its agreement to the financial regulation and the staff regulation. (H.B./transl.fl)