Brussels, 29/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On 15 September, the European Commission adopted its amending letter no. 1 to the draft budget 2011, which proposes, in line with the proposed revision of the financial regulation, to create a new section X (European External Action Service) and, as a result, to modify section II (European Council and Council) and section III (Commission) of the budget (see also this article in The Day in Politics section). The establishment plan proposed for the European External Action Service (EEAS) comprises 1,643 posts. In addition, the EEAS will have further human resources, estimated at 2,077 full-time equivalents, including seconded national experts, contractual agents, temporary staff and local staff (the last of these in delegations). The resulting administrative expenditure for the EEAS in 2011 will be €475.8 million, of which €82.2 million are to be transferred from section II (European Council and Council), €359.2 million from section III (Commission) and €29.2 million requested from additional funds relating to the cost for new human resources for the whole of the year.
By creating a full new budgetary section for the EEAS, whilst ensuring the smooth running and continuity of all of the existing activities, this amending letter “provides the budgetary resources needed for a viable and effective start-up of the EEAS, so that it can function autonomously from 2011”, the proposal reads. (L.C./transl.fl)