[autom.vertaling] De debattencontrole van het Parlement van de toekomstige diplomatieke dienst van de EU (en)

The EP Constitutional Affairs Committee is calling for the planned European diplomatic service to be subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament rather than being entirely in the hands of EU governments. On 10 May MEPs approved a motion for a resolution by Jo LEINEN (PES, DE) on the European diplomatic service (known as the European External Action Service or EEAS) in which they call for the preservation of the "Community model" in the EU's external relations.

An open debate over the institutional implications of the EEAS is taking place between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. Although the Parliament is only consulted on this matter, MEPs are determined to make an impact on the negotiations. Their biggest concern is the plan to set up an autonomous new diplomatic body, without any institutional link with the Commission.

MEPs would like to see an EEAS incorporated into the Commission's staff structure, especially for administrative and budgetary purposes. And in particular, they say, Parliament's power of control over financial decisions should be preserved. The resolution states that while the diplomatic service should be bound to implement the Council's choices, it should respect the Commission's decisions in fields such as trade, enlargement and humanitarian policies, where the Community method applies.

According to MEPs, the Commission's external policy duties must not be cut back, and the new service should be staffed proportionally by officials from the Commission, the Council and national diplomatic services. They also believe EU embassies should be set up, resulting from the merger of the Commission's external delegations and the Council's liaison offices.

The creation of a European diplomatic service is laid down in the Constitutional Treaty. The aim is " to assist the future EU Minister for Foreign Affairs...to perform his or her duties ", although the details are not spelt out. A report prepared by the Commission in cooperation with Javier Solana, high representative for the common foreign and security policy, will be discussed at the June European Council. The EEAS is due to be set up a year after the entry into force of the Constitution, which is scheduled for 1 November 2006. The Constitutional Affairs Committee has tabled an Oral Question with debate to the Commission on May 11, which will enable the matter to be discussed by the full Parliament.

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