MEPs criticise EEAS proposal

Catherine Ashton’s plans for diplomatic service deemed “not acceptable” to European Parliament.

Senior MEPs have criticised today’s proposal by Catherine Ashton, the
EU’s foreign policy chief, on the new diplomatic service as “not acceptable” to the Parliament.

“Despite many contacts over the past weeks, the high representative has chosen not to take Parliament’s views sufficiently into account,” five MEPs from the main political groups in the Parliament said in a statement. The group includes Elmar Brok, a German Christian Democrat, and Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal ALDE group, who had presented a counter-proposal on Tuesday (23 March).

The Parliament has to agree to changes to the EU’s financial and staff rules required for the new service to function properly. But It has no say on the decision establishing the European External Action Service (EEAS) drafted by Ashton, which only needs the backing of member states.

Martin Schulz, the leader of the social democrats in the Parliament, said: “If our demands are not met, we will not give the approval that is needed.”

In their statement, the five MEPs criticised the fact that the EEAS would not be politically accountable to the Parliament, a point on which Ashton had sought to reassure MEPs in her appearance before the foreign affairs committee on Tuesday.

The MEPs also said that an “artificial separation” between policy-making and execution of the EU’s development assistance would lead to problems. Under Ashton’s proposal, the product of months of consultations with the European Commission and member states, strategic funding decisions would be made by the EEAS but executed by the Commission.

The statement also warned that the proposed organisational set-up would make the service’s secretary-general “omnipotent”. Under Ashton’s proposal, the secretary-general would be responsible for the day-to-day management of the EEAS, aided by two deputies.

In the MEPs’ proposal, Brok and Verhofstadt had asked for three “political” deputies. The statement said: “What is needed are political deputies that can engage on [Ashton’s] behalf with both Parliament and partners in third
countries.”

Jerzy Buzek, the president of the European Parliament, called the proposal
“a step in the right direction” but added, “we must discuss this much
more”.

“I regret that the proposal that Ashton has delivered today does not take on board some of the points which are crucial for the Parliament,” Buzek said.

Speaking to reporters at the summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Buzek also said that the new diplomatic service had to seek geographical balance in recruiting officials.

Oxfam also criticised the proposal, calling Ashton’s control over development policy “potentially bad news”. Elise Ford, the head of Oxfam’s Brussels office, said that the proposal “risks making poverty objectives hostage to foreign policy goals.” She called on EU member states and MEPs to “rectify Ashton’s misconception about what effective development policy is”.

She said that Andris Piebalgs, the European commissioner for
development, needed to make funding decisions “on the basis of where
needs and potential for impact are greatest” rather than according to
the EU’s political and strategic objectives.