Brussels, 19/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - While recognising that consular protection remains a national competence, the EU foreign affairs ministers committed, on 17 December, “to further explore (…) possibilities for developing (…) the role of EU delegations in facilitating and supporting coordination between member states in their role of providing consular protection to citizens of the Union in third countries, also taking into account lessons learnt from previous crises and the experience of local consular cooperation initiatives”. The conclusions adopted state that the ministers also give their “full support to further enhancing cooperation between EU delegations and member states' diplomatic representations”, in particular by sharing reports and information.
Recognising that the European External Action Service (EEAS) has given priority to co-location projects, and the potential for the pooling of resources among the EEAS and member states in diplomatic missions abroad, the Council underlines that this can only be done on a cost recovery basis. It also encourages the EEAS and the Commission services to continue their efforts to rationalise and simplify administrative and budgetary tasks in EU delegations. If these rationalisation and simplification efforts prove insufficient, the Council remains ready to consider proposals to change the relevant legal texts, the ministers state.
The ministers also call for continued efforts for effective cooperation amongst all EU players in the field of external relations, and further development of synergies, coherence and pragmatic working arrangements between the EEAS, the Commission services and the General Secretariat of the Council, as well as with the European Parliament. The ministers also call for enhanced cooperation between the EEAS and Commission services in external aspects of key EU policies. The Council underlines the importance of timely, effective and efficient preparation of Council meetings.
Recalling its continuing commitment to the role of EU special representatives, the Council reiterates that a review of the 2007 guidelines on the appointment, mandate, salaries and financing of EU special representatives will be pursued, with a view to Council agreement by the end of March 2014.
In the longer term, the ministers call on the next high representative “to assess progress achieved in the context of the EEAS review and to present by the end of 2015 an evaluation on the organisation and functioning of the EEAS, accompanied, if necessary, by appropriate proposals, including for a revision of Council Decision 2010/427/EU” (which fixes the organisation and functioning of the EEAS). (CG/transl.fl)