Press release
EU diplomatic service: Madrid deal likely to be endorsed next week
Constitutional affairs - 29-06-2010 - 11:25
Committee : Foreign Affairs
Committee : Foreign Affairs
A week after the Madrid deal on the European External Action Service (EEAS) was struck, Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee debated Elmar Brok's draft report on its organisation and functioning. The Conference of Presidents will decide this Thursday whether to add the report to the upcoming Strasbourg part-session agenda.
With the political agreement reached last week to modify EU High Representative Catherine Ashton's original March proposal for a Council decision, "things have improved considerably for Parliament", Elmar Brok (EPP, DE), one of Parliament’s negotiators, told Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Monday.
EEAS: at least 60% EU staff
MEPs debated the 75 amendments tabled by the rapporteur to the proposal for a Council decision. The diplomatic service's Community identity will be strengthened with "at least 60% of EEAS staff to be made up of permanent EU officials", he said. The service's political and budgetary accountability to Parliament is guaranteed with full budget discharge rights.
Political accountability
Mr Brok also outlined two statements which are part of the political agreement. One, on political accountability, is about to be agreed on by the Council and published in the Official Journal, which will make it "binding", according to the rapporteur. This statement describes Parliament’s role of political control over the EEAS.
He nonetheless regretted that according to this statement, Parliament's hearings of foreign policy Special Representatives would remain "informal", although he hoped that this could be remedied over the years. He underlined that MEPs holding institutional roles will have access to confidential documents. The declaration also stipulates that the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Budgets Committee bureaus will have stronger scrutiny rights over Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) missions financed out of the EU Budget.
Basic organisation
The other statement, on the basic organisation, stipulates that there will a human rights structure at headquarters level as well as locally in the delegations. On crisis management and peace-building, the declaration says that Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) structures will be part of the EEAS.
"Our objective is to get a functioning service that can get on with confidence building ", reiterated Mr Brok, who noted that the European Commission will be responsible for implementing the budget. "We got more for the Commission than they could have hoped for", he added, referring to a requirement that the High Representative's must co-operate with the three European Commissioners for external relations.
Next steps
MEPs speaking on behalf of their political groups, María Muñiz de Urquiza (S&D, ES), Annemie Neyts (ALDE, BE) and Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, AT), expressed a wish to put the proposals to a committee vote in July.
The ECR and GUE/NGL groups, however, stated reservations. Charles Tannock (ECR, UK) said "we will live with the compromise, although our group wished to have a smaller and more intergovernmental diplomatic service". Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL, DE), said her group would table amendments to reduce the "militarisation" of the EEAS.
The deadline for tabling amendments to the Brok report is Wednesday 30 June at noon. It is expected to be voted in committee on Tuesday 6 July in Strasbourg.
The Conference of Presidents will decide on Thursday 1 July whether the report will be added to the upcoming Strasbourg part-session.
The separate legal procedures for the Staff and Financial Regulations will be put to votes after the Council's decision on the organisation of the EEAS, "in the autumn" said Mr Brok.
In the Chair: Eduard Kukan (EPP, SK)
REF.: 20100628IPR77090