Brussels, 22/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 22 January, MEPs from the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee spoke of their desire to have a more effective European External Action Service (EEAS), during a discussion with members of the British House of Lords - which will carry out an inquiry into the EEAS (see EUROPE 10721).
In the opinion of Arnaud Danjean (EPP, France), the EEAS lacks priorities. “(High Representative) Catherine Ashton goes from one crisis to the next without any priority”, he said, adding that this gives an “impression of not being efficient and of being useless”. He then called for “10-12” priorities to be decided upon and for the work of the EEAS to then be organised with these as the starting point. Véronique de Keyser (S&D, Belgium) criticised the lack of political line. “Catherine Ashton is a very good diplomat but she is not a politician who gives a line. She does not have the necessary tools, the intelligence service, the defence…”, she deplored (our translation throughout).
Danjean also criticised the lack of EEAS leadership with the member states, wanting the EEAS to take more initiative and more decisions, and to try even if the decisions are rejected by the member states. He added that they needed a force of conviction in the EEAS. In the opinion of Tarja Cronberg (Greens/EFA, Finland), the mandate should be reviewed so as to be more dynamic and strategic, and to enable more initiatives. Chair of the foreign affairs committee, Elmar Brok (EPP, Germany), stressed the lack of political resolve from the member states, mentioning the case of Mali as an example. He wants possibilities to be studied in order to have quicker decisions and an even quicker implementation of these decisions.
While the MEPs spoke of the need to improve certain points in order to make the EEAS more effective, they all underlined that a revolution in the way the EEAS works is not necessary. Saying that the work of the EEAS progresses, they recalled that the EEAS is young and that it can therefore ask for indulgence. (CG/transl.fl)