Two weeks after the Madrid deal on setting up the European External Action Service (EEAS), a package of recommendations on its organisation and working methods was approved by the European Parliament on Thursday. The EEAS is a major new development introduced by the Lisbon Treaty.

Although Parliament was only formally consulted on the organisation and functioning of the EEAS, MEPs negotiated substantial changes to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton's original plans put forward in March. The service's "Community identity" will be strengthened and its political and budgetary accountability to Parliament is ensured.

The EEAS will help the High Representative (HR) in conducting the EU's foreign policy and ensuring that its external policy is consistent. The HR is also Vice-President of the Commission and President of the Foreign Affairs Council.

The establishment of the EEAS requires an Establishment Decision, which was submitted to the Council on 22 April, amendments to the Financial Regulation and the Staff Regulations, as well as the adoption of an amending budget. Article 27 of the Treaty states that the EEAS shall comprise officials from the relevant departments of the Council, the Commission, and staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the Member States.

EEAS: at least 60% to be EU staff

MEPs have also won an undertaking that at least 60% of EEAS staff will be made up of permanent EU officials. This will guarantee the diplomatic service's Community identity. Officials from national diplomatic services - to constitute one third of the staff when the service has reached full capacity - will be temporary agents for a duration of up to eight years with a possible extension of two years.

On 1 January 2011, a total of 1,525 civil servants from the Commission and the Council's General Secretariat will be transferred to the EEAS and 100 new posts have been created. The total figure is 1625. Recourse to seconded national experts will be limited and these experts will not be counted as staff from Member States (one third of the total).

Headquarters and basic organisation

The EEAS will have its headquarters in Brussels and will be made up of a central administration and the 136 former Commission delegations. The central administration will be organised in directorates-general comprising geographic desks covering all countries and regions of the world, as well as multilateral desks.

The statement on the service's basic organisation stipulates that there will a human rights structure at headquarters level and locally in the delegations as well as a department assisting the HR in her relations with Parliament. On crisis management and peace-building, the statement says that common security and defence policy (CSDP) structures will be part of the EEAS.

Next steps

Changes to the Financial Regulation, the Staff Regulation and the 2010 budget, on which Parliament has joint decision-making powers with Council, will be put to the vote after the summer recess and after the Council has endorsed Parliament's position on the operation of the service.

One month after the entry-into-force of the EEAS decision, Baroness Ashton is to present to the Commission an estimate of the EEAS revenue and expenditure, with a view to drafting an amending budget. This agreement comes two weeks after Madrid deal among EU institutions.