IRISH EMBASSIES in countries outside Europe may be harnessed by the EU as part of the European External Action Service (EEAS) set up under the Lisbon Treaty.
MEPs in Strasbourg will vote today on whether to accept a report on the external service from the parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which recommends embassies of EU countries be merged with EU diplomatic agencies after the service has been established.
The service, which aims to give a single coherent diplomatic voice to the EU, will be set up once the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by the Czech Republic. It will have a high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and will be, essentially, a diplomatic corp for the EU.
A report on the setting-up of the service, by constitutional committee rapporteur German MEP Elmar Brok was debated by MEPs yesterday. Among other recommendations to the commission was one to merge diplomatic resources of the EU and member states in countries outside Europe.
The service will also mean Irish citizens will be entitled to seek help from the embassies of other EU countries in places where Ireland does not have an embassy. It also recommended specialised diplomatic training for all those attached to the service.
The report called for some areas of external relations to remain outside the service, including development, trade and enlargement. It also recommended political agreement be reached with parliament on all issues at an early stage to avoid valuable time being wasted.
Labour Party MEP Proinsias De Rossa welcomed the report: “I am optimistic that this new service can help achieve greater coherence between our policy objectives and decisions, particularly as they impact globally on sustainable development, human rights and poverty eradication.” But, he said, development should not be subsumed into the service. “We need an autonomous development service accountable to an autonomous commissioner for development and humanitarian aid.”
