Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are up in arms over the setting up of the new European External Action Service (EEAS), which has become the centre of a bitter turf war between the Commission and the member states. MEPs have complained that Parliament is being shut out of the decision-making process for establishing the EEAS, and warned that they may make use of their power to veto the EU budget if their views on the new diplomatic service are not taken into account.

MEPs have expressed anger that the current proposals for the EEAS coming from High Representative Catherine Ashton would take key competencies such as the management of the development budget away from the Commission, and would not allow Parliament control of the service's budget or the right to scrutinise the nominees for heads of delegations in parliamentary hearings. But member states are calling for the EEAS to be fully autonomous from the Commission and Parliament.

"What is on paper at the moment is insufficient, utterly insufficient," said Elmar Brok, Parliament's rapporteur on the EEAS.

In a bold speech to Parliament last week, Ms. Ashton told MEPs: "Right now we have a chance to build what many across Europe ... have long wanted — a stronger, more credible European foreign policy. Of course, the European external action service will be key to deliver this."

"This is not the time for flying on auto-pilot, or for sticking to the narrow defence of national ways of doing things," she said. "This is a time to be smart and ambitious."

Sources:

• EUobserver (1)
• EUobserver (2)
• Financial Times

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• Briefing No. 48: Defining the EU's Management and Implementation of its External Actions
• Briefing No. 44: Five Compelling Reasons why to keep Development outside the EEAS