The Council Decision establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service (EEAS) has been published in the Official Journal. The decision was adopted after some negotiations with the European Parliament, which, although only consulted in this procedure, wielded significant influence over the final result.
The decision specifically underscores that the European Parliament will fully play its role in the external action of the Union, including its functions of political control as provided for in Article 14, para. 1 TEU. The High Representative will regularly consult the European Parliament on the main aspects and the basic choices of the CFSP and will ensure that the views of the European Parliament are duly taken into consideration.
The main function of the EEAS is to support the High Representative for the Foreign and Security Policy and the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission, and the Commission in the exercise of their respective functions in the area of external relations.
The EEAS must support, and work in cooperation with, the diplomatic services of the Member States, as well as with the General Secretariat of the Council and the services of the Commission, in order to ensure consistency between the different areas of the Union’s external action and between those areas and its other policies.
The EEAS is managed by an Executive Secretary-General who operates under the authority of the High Representative. The Executive Secretary-General is assisted by two Deputy Secretaries-General. The central administration of the EEAS is organised in directorates-general comprising geographic desks covering all countries and regions of the world, as well as multilateral and thematic desks.
Union delegations will be opened by the High Representative, in agreement with the Council and the Commission. The Head of Delegation shall have authority over all staff in the delegation, whatever their status, and for all its activities. The Head of Delegation shall have the power to represent the Union in the country where the delegation is accredited.
Permanent officials of the Union should represent at least 60 % of all EEAS staff at AD level, including staff coming from the diplomatic services of the Member States who have become permanent officials of the Union.
European Union Law 