Article III-296 of the European Constitution provides that the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be assisted by a European external action service. This service shall work in co-operation with the diplomatic services of the member states and shall comprise officials from relevant departments of the General Secretariat of the Council and the Commission as well as staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the member states.
The organisation and functioning of the service are to be established by the Council, acting by QMV, on a proposal by the Union Foreign Minister and with the consent of the Commission.
While the service cannot be established until after entry into force of the European Constitution, for which the target date of 1 November 2006 has been set, a declaration of the Intergovernmental Conference states that, following signature of the European Constitution, which took place on 29 October, the Secretary-General-High Representative, Javier Solana, the Commission and the member states are to begin preparatory work on the service. There have already been some informal discussions and contacts and we look forward to proposals on how preparatory work is to be structured.
Inevitably, the establishment and development of the new service will involve complex organisational issues. Ireland will wish to ensure that it is properly equipped and organised to fulfil its mandate of assisting the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and that it properly reflects the dual role of the Minister vis-à-vis both the Commission and the Council. We will also want to ensure that the member states collectively, and individual member states, are fully involved in preparatory work and that there is transparency and equity as regards the staffing of the service and access to the information generated by it.