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2013 review of the organisation and the functioning of the EEAS. Recommendation to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, to the Council and to the Commission

2012/2253(INI)

The European Parliament adopted by 501 votes to 96, with 13 abstentions, a recommendation to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, to the Council and to the Commission on the 2013 review of the organisation and the functioning of the EEAS.

Parliament recalls that the EEAS is a new body of hybrid nature, drawing upon community and intergovernmental sources, which has no precedent in the EU and which therefore cannot be expected to be fully functional within two years of its establishment. It is putting forward this draft recommendation to the HR/VP, to the Council and to the Commission, bearing in mind that there has been good progress in setting up the EEAS but that more can be achieved in terms of synergy and coordination between institutions, political leadership and visibility, as well as in terms of tasks.

Leadership and a more rational and efficient structure for 21st century diplomacy: on the whole, Parliament calls for a simplification of the command structure of the EEAS and an enhancement of the role of its Executive Secretary General by establishing a clear chain of command to support effective decision-making as well as timely policy response. In this context, it calls for the rationalisation of the posts of Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director in charge of Administration, to reduce and simplify the hierarchical structure of the Managing Directorates.

Among other things, Parliament calls for:

  • a strengthening of the HR/VP's coordinating, initiating and political leadership roles, in particular as chair of the Foreign Affairs Council, by ensuring that, in the next Commission, (s)he realises his/her full potential;
  • the possibility of qualified majority voting on CFSP matters, as laid down in Article 31(2) TEU;
  • the safeguarding of the 'community' character of the neighbourhood policy, bearing in mind that Parliament rejects any intergovernmentalisation of Union policies and that the Treaty bestows upon the Commission the main responsibility for negotiating international agreements for and on behalf of the Union;
  • the improvement of the interface between the Directorate for Foreign Policy Instruments and the EEAS;
  • the development of the practice of joint technical and logistical services between institutions, with a view to achieving economies of scale and improved efficiency; as a first step, to put under a ‘single joint structure’ the various logistical services of the Commission and EEAS for early warning, risk assessment and security tasks covering events outside of the Union, in which these services have to cooperate;
  • deeper cooperation with Member States and the development of joint political reporting between delegations and embassies.

On the ‘appropriate structure’ for ensuring a comprehensive approach: Parliament calls for the implementation of the full potential of the Lisbon Treaty by pursuing a Comprehensive Approach that integrates diplomatic, economic, development, and – in the last resort and in full compliance with the UN Charter – military means behind common Union strategic policy guidelines in order to protect and promote the security and prosperity primarily of EU citizens and those in their neighbourhood, as well as further afield. Members particularly stress the need to ensure coherence between short-term and longer-term measures. They call for the EEAS to have the capacity for strategic thinking and to forward proposals for implementing important innovations offered by the Lisbon Treaty, like entrusting the implementation of certain tasks to groups of capable Member States. To this end, they urge the development of an ‘appropriate structure’ (for instance identified as a Crisis Board) that integrates conflict prevention, crisis response, peace building, the foreign policy instruments concerned, security policy and CSDP structures, and assures coordination with the geographical desks, delegations, etc.

Efforts have also been called for to ensure effective and integrated planning and faster decision-making, for CSDP operations, by combining the relevant planning capacities from the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate (CMPD) and the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC). Parliament also proposes to create a permanent conduct structure by establishing a permanent military Operational Headquarter, co-located with a Civilian Conduct Capability, in order to allow the effective implementation of military and civilian operations whilst safeguarding their respective chains of command.

On reforming financial procedures for effective external action: Parliament calls for the acceleration of procedures in the Foreign Policy Instruments Service for administering CFSP finances against the objective of guaranteeing flexible and timely response to crisis situations. It would like to see greater flexibility and reactivity of EU external assistance and mproved financial accountability by extending transparency to all CFSP budget lines.

On the Delegations: Parliament calls for the EEAS to be given a greater say in the (re)allocation of Commission staff in EU delegations in order to ensure that the staff profiles and size of EU delegations reflects the Union’s strategic interests and its political priorities. Further measures are proposed such as: (i) appointments on the basis of merit and sound knowledge of the Union's interests, values and policies; (ii) strengthening the authority of the Heads of Delegation over the whole staff; (iii) mainstreaming of human rights and women’s rights within all the delegations; (iv) ensuring there is the appropriate expertise in various policy areas (such as climate change, energy security, social and labour policy, culture, etc.).

Furthermore, to give visibility to European culture based on its diversity, Parliament should ensure, where appropriate, that EU delegations have among their existing staff a liaison officer for the European Parliament charged with providing adequate assistance to Parliament's delegations in third countries and enquiries, based on the principle that EU delegations represent all EU institutions in the same manner.

Plenary also highlighted the issue of security and calls on the HR/VP to order a review of the security arrangements and requirements at EU delegations abroad, so as to ascertain that security decisions are made by the EEAS and not by outside security contractors.

On implementing the Declaration on Political Accountability: Members urge the full and effective implementation of the obligation in Article 36 TEU to have the Parliament’s views duly taken into consideration, for example by a proactive and systematic consultation with the appropriate committee of Parliament before the adoption of strategies and mandates in the area of CFSP/CSDP. They also call for Parliament to be kept immediately and fully informed of all the stages in the procedure of negotiation of international agreements, including agreement concluded within the CFSP.

On training and consolidating a European diplomatic esprit de corps: Parliament welcomes the idea of common training and other concrete measures for the consolidation of an esprit de corps among EEAS staff. In this regard, it calls for a review of the relevant existing training and educational programmes at EU and national levels.

On the recruitment base: Members call for the pursuit and intensification of efforts to achieve better gender balance in the EEAS, and the redressing of geographical representativity at senior levels and at all other grades and positions in this service. Given that the target of one third of staff recruited from Member States has been reached, they wish to ensure that members of staff from national ministries are not concentrated at managerial levels, thereby enabling career opportunities for all. In order to develop a truly European esprit de corps and to ensure that the Service only serves common European interests, they oppose all attempts by the Member States to interfere with the recruitment process of EEAS staff. Parliament should see its role strengthened in this regard, given its special role with regard to the definition of objectives and basic choices of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and its competences as a budgetary authority.

Members consider that, in view of the European Parliament's experience, officials from the European Parliament should be able to apply for posts in the EEAS on an equal footing with those from the Council and the Commission from 1 July 2013.

Lastly, in the context of a future Convention, Parliament calls for the further development of CFSP/CSDP and of the role of the EEAS, including a change of name, to be put on the agenda.