Representatives from EU institutions meeting in Madrid in June 21st, reached a political agreement in which they agreed work in a constructive way for the formal adoption of a Council decision regulating the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Meeting in Madrid on June 21st 2010, the European Commission, the Parliament and the Spanish Presidency concluded an agreement on the organization and functioning of the European External Action Service (SEAE). At that meeting, which was attended by the head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Angel Moratinos, on behalf of the presidency, European Commissioner for Administration and Institutional Affairs, Maroš Šefčovič and three members of Parliament, a political compromise was reached by all institutions to facilitate the organization of SEAE.

On the basis of the agreement reached, the participants committed themselves to seek endorsement of the package by their respective institutions as soon as possible in order to proceed to the formal adoption of the Council decision establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service and their related declaration once all the procedural steps would have been completed.

In addition, participants agreed that their respective institutions must now work in a constructive manner to resolve outstanding issues, in particular, the Financial Regulations and Staff Rules and basic structure of the central administration.

The agreement sealed in Madrid will be analysed separately in the coming days by each of the parties in order to ensure that the Council will adopt as soon as possible the formal decision to launch the service, which is expected to be during next autumn.

The SEAE was approved by Member states at the end of April, but still needs the approval of the Parliament, who wants to have a more relevant role in the structure of what will be the future EU diplomatic service, one of the main novelties of the Lisbon Treaty.

The future EU diplomatic representation, lead Ashton, will have a workforce of several thousand people coming equally from the European Commission, the European Council and all Member states.