European External Action Service related content 

Hands up who's looking forward to their performance review? European Commission officials in the EU's delegations abroad are for the first time since the launch of the...

The EU has laid the ground for a better crisis-response system. It now needs political follow-through. How many systems does the EU have in place that would be activated in a...

The difficulties faced by the EU's diplomatic service in its first year are symptoms of bigger problems. You wrote that Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, is...

Catherine Ashton and her colleagues need to show more understanding of how essential development is to security. Last week you reported on the storm of criticism facing the...

There is much to praise in the EU institutions' response to the Arab uprisings, but directionis still lacking. In the past year, democratic uprisings in the southern...

A staff committee for the EEAS. One year after the European External Action Service was launched, its employees have now formed a staff committee to represent their interests...

Hard times for the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. Pity the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, which has money, but no status.  It is...

EU's foreign policy chief responds to criticism from foreign ministers of 12 member states. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, has been forced to...

The European External Action Service has had a difficult first 12 months, and hopes have faded that Catherine Ashton will settle into her role as EU foreign policy chief. The...

The EU's Special Representative to the southern Mediterranean has won praise throughout his career. Within his inner circle, Bernardino León is likened to Mr Wolf, an...

The European External Action Service (EEAS) has appointed five new heads of delegation. Marchel Gerrmann will become head of the EU's delegation in Eritrea. Norbert Jousten...

Posts filled in Africa and central Asia. Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, has today appointed five heads of EU delegations.

Changing places at the EEAS. A soft reshuffle is under way in the European External Action Service (EEAS) as it approaches the first anniversary of its launch (1 December...

Some of the outlines of the strategy that the EU's diplomatic service needs. The first 12 months of the European External Action Service (EEAS), which formally came into...

Border crossings have been blocked for months; candidate status to be discussed in December. Serbia must dismantle roadblocks in Kosovo and return to negotiations with the...

What have Van Rompuy and Ashton achieved since taking office? This weekend will see the second anniversary of the European Council's decision on 19 November 2009 to appoint...

Commission opens delegation in Tripoli. Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, was in Tripoli on Saturday (12 November) to open the EU's new delegation there. Plans...

The EEAS has cash to spend on furniture. The European External Action Service (EEAS) is going shopping. It has €3.3 million burning a hole in its pocket, and carte...

Koen Vervaeke has been appointed senior co-ordinator for the Great Lakes region in Africa by the European External Action Service (EEAS). Vervaeke had been the head of the...

While the EU wants to change how it deals with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fragile peace in the country is rapidly deteriorating. For close to 16 years, Bosnia and...