The original Council Decision establishing the European External Action Service (EEAS) in 2010, called for a review of the organisation and functioning of the EEAS by mid-2013. This CEPS Commentary argues that the review process will offer a formal opportunity to address some of the Service's weaknesses and to give a new impetus to its further development. In particular, it urges stakeholders to go beyond a review of organisational matters and also look into the Service’s overall contribution to attaining the objectives of the EU’s foreign policy, into its cooperation with the member states’ diplomatic services, the services of the European Commission, the Council General Secretariat and the European Parliament. Four sets of recommendations are put forward.
Steven Blockmans is Head of the EU Foreign Policy Unit at CEPS and Professor of EU External Relations Law and Governance, University of Amsterdam. This paper was written for the inquiry into the European External Action Service of the EU Sub-Committee C (External Relations) of the House of Lords, and reproduced for CEPS.
