Parliament supports EEAS proposal

MEPs vote in favour of plan for diplomatic service.

MEPs today gave their backing to a deal to set up the European Union’s new diplomatic service.

The European Parliament passed a resolution, drafted by Elmar Brok, a German centre-right MEP, by 549 votes for, 78 against and 17 abstentions. The vote approved a deal reached last month between MEPs, member states and Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on setting up the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The resolution deals with a political accord reached between the Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission on how the EEAS will be organised and its working methods.

Separate, binding deals still have to be reached on the budget for the diplomatic service as well as amendments to the EU’s financial and staff regulations to take account of the new body. The Parliament is to deliberate on those issues in September.

Brok’s resolution asked the Council of Ministers “to notify” and consult with MEPs if it intends to make changes to the 21 June deal. The compromise gives the Parliament political and budgetary oversight over the service.

Ashton welcomed the “overwhelming majority” of MEPs that backed the EEAS deal, but said a lot of work remained to be done to get the service operational. “I will continue to put my energy into this so that we can establish an effective service as soon as possible,” she said, adding that the Commission and the Council of Ministers still have to give their formal backing to the deal later this month.

“It is important also that we move rapidly with the amendment to the staff and financial regulations, and an amending budget for 2010, to allow the service formally to come into being,” said Ashton.

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